Agatha Christie's "Murder on the Orient Express" - Adapted by Ken Ludwig - Theatre at the Mount (Gardner, MA.) - REVIEW
(Cover Photo: Francis Freel as “Hercule Poirot” in a scene from Ken Ludwig's adaptation of Agatha Christie's "MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS" now playing at Theatre at the Mount in Gardner, MA. through October 11, 2026. Photo Credit: Cassie Swartz)
By Kevin T. Baldwin
METRMAG Reviewer
# 774-242-6724
“The impossible cannot have happened, therefore the impossible must be possible in spite of appearances."
- ("Poirot") / Ken Ludwig, Agatha Christie
Theatre at the Mount
Presents Agatha Christie's
"MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS"
Written by Agatha Christie
Adapted by Ken Ludwig
Directed by Craig Cormier
Producing Director Gail Steele
Cast Includes: Amanda Babcock as “Countess Andrenyi,” Francis Freel as “Hercule Poirot,” Autumn DeSisto as “Princess Dragomiroff,” Chay Tower-Hughes as “Monsieur Bouc,” Shani Farrell as “Helen Hubbard,” David Allen Prescott as “Ratchett/Arbuthnot,” Jillianne Prescott as “Mary Debenham,” Gary Kendall as “Hector McQueen,” Haley Murphy as “Greta Ohlsson,” David Anthony as “Michel/Head Waiter.”
Additional Creative Team:
Technical Director/Set Design - David Allen Prescott; Lighting Design - Sam Gagnon; Costume Coordinator - Gail Steele; Stage Manager - Mia Senneville; Props Mistress - Lisa Smith Adams; Wigs and Makeup - Cass Martyn-Seidl; Sound Engineer - Tristan Soucy; Projections - Peter Russo; Running Crew - Waylon Letarte, Layla Holliman, Caddigan Prescott, Evan Zumwalt, Bob Allen, Trevor Comeau; Construction Crew - Students of Technical Theatre Practicum I & II, Elsa Guerra, Cass Martyn-Seidl, Zoe Peer King, Jen Knight.
Performances:
October 2, 2026 through October 11, 2026
(Contact Box Office for Exact Times)
Mount Wachusett Community College, 44 Green Street, Room 182, Gardner, MA. 01440
TICKETS:
Tickets are available online at mwcc.universitytickets.com or by calling # 978-630-9388.
For additional information contact Professor Gail Steele at 978-630-9162 or g_steele@mwcc.mass.edu
BUY TICKETS
COVID 19 PROTOCOLS
Contact Venue for Most Updated COVID-19 Safety Protocols and Information.
(Warning: The following review contains spoilers)
All aboard the most famous murder mystery train in literary history, "MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS" currently stabled at the station in Gardner, MA. courtesy of Theatre at the Mount (TATM).
The two-act Agatha Christie suspense thriller is a new adaptation by Ken Ludwig (famous for his Tony Award-winning “Lend Me a Tenor”) who customized the play from the novel of the same name by Agatha Christie.
One of the reasons for the ongoing admiration of Christie stories is because of the fascinating and diverse characters we meet along the way to solving a mystery, usually a mystery involving a murder (or two, or several, or even “Ten”).
"MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS" is no different although it is arguably one of Christie’s best and Ludwig remains truthful to the source material.
Ludwig does so while weaving in moments of levity to help keep the story from deteriorating into becoming too procedural, predictable and/or dull.
Commissioned by Agatha Christie LTD, Ludwig’s version of "MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS" was written in 2015 and then made its stage debut in New Jersey in 2017.
The joy of Christie is, even if you have seen one of her stories repeatedly and already know the outcome, if done well, the storytelling itself is still enjoyable with rich, fully formed characters - and that is certainly the case here with the TATM production.
"MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS" is truly solid storytelling well told.
From the Christie stable of fictional literary detectives, on the "ORIENT EXPRESS" we meet fussy Belgian (not French) sleuth Hercule Poirot (Francis Farrell), replete with his trademark long, dark mustache.
Poirot catches up with an old friend, Monsieur Bouc (Chay Tower-Hughes), the manager of the "ORIENT EXPRESS" who begs Poirot for help after his train becomes the scene of a murder.
Costuming by TATM for "MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS" was expertly in keeping with the 1934 time period.
The creative team at TATM offers a skillfully implemented technical production incorporating the use of multimedia projections, blending in with several striking drops, and an exquisite set depicting the inside cars of the train.
To keep the notable set from detracting from the story, director Craig Cormier has maintained a clear focus of the play on the mystery itself as Poirot contends with an inordinate amount of plot twists and turns.
Farrell is quite invested in the character of investigator Poirot, one tasked with the lion’s share of dialogue as Poirot tries to solve the boxcar murder case that is overloaded with peculiar passengers as potential suspects.
Tower-Hughes is quite amusing as the distressed Monsieur Bouc, whose blood pressure seemingly elevates as the mystery unfolds.
On this disastrous train voyage from Istanbul to London, we are introduced to a group of strangers who quickly become suspects once a murder is committed on the train during a blizzard that has stopped the train cold (pun intended).
The actual "MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS" occurs shortly after lowlife Samuel Ratchett (David Allen Prescott) boards what he does not expect to be (spoiler alert) the (very) last train ride of his low life.
Found murdered in his bed, Poirot is asked by Bouc to solve the murder – not for justice – but rather to save the company from embarrassingly catastrophic publicity.
Michel the Conductor (David Anthony, who also plays a Head Waiter) assists both Poirot and Bouc throughout the investigation.
(Photo: David Anthony as “Michel” observes Autumn DeSisto as “Princess Dragomiroff” with Haley Murphy as “Greta Ohlsson” in a scene from Ken Ludwig's adaptation of Agatha Christie's "MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS" now playing at Theatre at the Mount in Gardner, MA. through October 11, 2026. Photo Credit: Cassie Swartz)
Poirot interviews Hector McQueen (Gary Kendall) who would be a primary suspect as he was Ratchett’s personal assistant who, as Poirot learns, harbored his own dark secret for wanting Ratchett dead.
Kendall leans strongly into the anxious behavior of his McQueen character, but there are more suspects who also soon become anxious as Poirot discovers their own murderous motives against Ratchett.
Russian Princess Dragomiroff (Autumn DeSisto) is also a suspect aboard the train but, even as such, she insists on complete royal decorum in whatever train car she happens to be in.
DeSisto is deliciously sarcastic as the demanding Princess character, who will suffer no fools in her presence and is not averse to stating as much with an endless supply of caustic deadpan retorts.
Traveling with the Princess is Greta Ohlsson (Hayley Murphy) of Sweden, a nervous companion who falls completely apart as the deadly journey progresses.
Murphy is thoroughly enjoyable, offering many odd, quirky moments as the jumpy Swedish missionary nurse, occasionally functioning as itching powder on the nerves of her royal traveling companion.
Poirot investigates English governess Mary Debenham (Jillianne Prescott) who has a mysterious background which Poirot finds both puzzling and deeply troubling.
Scottish Colonel Arbuthnot (also played by David Allen Prescott) is over-protective of Debenham, but their actual relationship is kept vague throughout most of the story, which fuels Poirot’s irritation with both of them.
The Colonel and Mary appear to have an unmistakable chemistry on stage in their scenes together.
David Allen Prescott is a versatile presence, offering a clear distinction between the characters of the despicable Ratchett and the dutiful Colonel.
Poirot also interrogates Helen Hubbard (Shani Farrell) a hysterical often-married merry American widow.
The Hubbard character offered Ludwig another opportunity to infuse some humor and he made the most of it, as does Farrell in her portrayal.
Farrell offers a unique interpretation of the over-the-top character with Hubbard stealing virtually every scene in which she appears.
Finally, Poirot meets a suspect to which he surprisingly finds himself fascinated…the alluring Countess Andrenyi (Amanda Babcock) of Hungary.
Not only is the Countess intelligent and skilled in numerous areas, but she is also self-assured and attractive, which is the source of Poirot’s conflict.
(Photo: David Allen Prescott as “Colonel Arbuthnot” confronts Francis Freel as “Hercule Poirot” in a scene from Ken Ludwig's adaptation of Agatha Christie's "MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS" now playing at Theatre at the Mount in Gardner, MA. through October 11, 2026. Photo Credit: Cassie Swartz)
You may have noticed multiple allusions to the international community in these descriptions: French, Belgian, Hungarian, Scottish, Swedish, Russian, etc.
Well...as far as international accents go, the use of accents fluctuates from a complete mastery of the language to virtually lampoon-ish (especially in the heavy European “z” sounds).
While some European languages do not have the dental fricative sounds (like the "th" in “the,” “this” or “that”), some actors (in general, not specific to this production) do tend to “overcompenzate” in “zis” area.
It needs to be made clear, thought, that much of this actually comes from the original Christie text and Ludwig’s script.
Also, none of this diminished from the overall enjoyment seemingly had by the audience at the October 3rd performance.
What was noticeable at the TATM performance though was, on occasion, certain reactions felt “overplayed,” possibly in effort to keep the energy level of the play from diminishing.
However, several of these attempts appeared abrupt and a tad out of character from the person delivering the response, specifically Poirot.
Again, a minor issue in otherwise exemplary storytelling by the cast and creative team at TATM.
Poirot uncovers connections to Ratchett’s murder from a prior ghastly crime, which may help him uncover the truth behind the "MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS."
(Photo: Francis Freel as “Hercule Poirot” in a scene from Ken Ludwig's adaptation of Agatha Christie's "MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS" now playing at Theatre at the Mount in Gardner, MA. through October 11, 2026. Photo Credit: Cassie Swartz)
Ken Ludwig’s adaptation of Agatha Christie’s "MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS" continues at its stopover at Theatre at the Mount in Gardner, MA. until October 11th, 2026.
Coming up next for Theatre at the Mount will be a holiday musical favorite "WHITE CHRISTMAS" by David Ives and Paul Blake and featuring the music of legendary composer Irving Berlin, beginning November 27the and running until December 6th, 2026
Tickets are available online at mwcc.universitytickets.com or by calling # 978-630-9388.
For additional information contact Professor Gail Steele at # 978-630-9162 or g_steele@mwcc.mass.edu
BUY TICKETS
Approximately two hours, 30 minutes with one intermission.
Kevin T. Baldwin is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA)
@MetrmagReviews
@Theatre_Critics
ABOUT THE SHOW
Join the legendary detective Hercule Poirot as he boards the world’s most glamorous train — only to find himself in the middle of a murder mystery with a trainload of suspects and secrets.
With dazzling period style, razor-sharp dialogue, and edge-of-your-seat intrigue, this stage adaptation is a first-class ticket to theatrical thrills.
ABOUT THEATRE AT THE MOUNT
Mount Wachusett Community College
444 Green Street
Gardner, MA. 01440
