The Sound on Stage - Week of 10/09/23

Review of Murder on the Nile (Port Gamble Theatre), what else is currently on stage, and what is coming up in the area.

This week’s edition of The Sound on Stage takes us to North Kitsap, and to historic Port Gamble. This tiny town is perhaps best known for having “Washington’s most haunted house”, but it’s also a wonderful destination any time of year. Tucked into this village is the Port Gamble Theatre, located in one of the many historic buildings in and around Port Gamble. Constructed originally in 1906, this quaint building has always been a community center and houses not just the theatre space, but the town’s Post Office. And on the topic of theatre, while many companies are just now opening their seasons, Port Gamble is beginning the wrap up of its calendar-based 2023 season with its penultimate show, Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Nile.

Murder on the Nile - through October 22, 2023
Presented By: Seattle Rep (Reviewed: Saturday, October 7, 2023)

There is no shortage of Agatha Christie plays circulating through the regional theatre scene, in fact there have already been a few this season (Edmonds Driftwood Players just closed its production of Murder on the Orient Express this past weekend), and many of her more popular works have been adapted multiple times for the screen. No matter how many times we’ve seen her murder mysteries, and regardless of whether we know who killed whom, there’s a certain something that keeps us flocking back time and again. Port Gamble Theatre is hoping folks do just that as they are the latest to put up an Agatha Christie favorite with their production of Murder on the Nile, which will be onstage through October 22. Many know the general story by its more familiar monicker, Death on the Nile, which is, in fact, the name of the original 1937 novel, as well as the name used for its many film adaptations, the most recent being part of the series directed by Kenneth Branagh and was released in 2022. In typical Christie fashion, though, the play differs a good deal from the original book and film versions. While it follows the same general plot, a group of people sailing down the Nile in a steamer when murder comes upon them, it may seem that the telling of the stage play is just a bit different than what you’ve read or seen on screen.

At the time Christie was adapting the story into this stage play, she had tired of her famous Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, and left him out of this version. But, even when she doesn’t use Poirot, he’s always soft of there, or some facsimile thereof. There’s always that one character who is responsible for gathering and analyzing evidence, interviewing the other characters, all of whom have a more than substantial motive to commit murder, and putting the pieces together to solve the crime. In this case, this “Poirot” is Canon Pennefather, a priest played by Scott Snively. Scott’s performance here is so natural and seemingly effortless, he raises the level of the entire production when he’s onstage. He’s definitely not Poirot, but he’s taken this clergyman and made him his own, delivering it with subtle humor and direct intensity when it’s called for. In fact, if you only needed one reason to come to Murder on the Nile, let it be this performance. Every aspect of it is consistent and precise, and as his character is always watching, taking everything in, so too is Scott’s acting, it’s almost as entertaining watching him act when he’s not in the center of a scene as when he is.

This isn’t to say that there’s no other talent worth mentioning on stage. Sue Michaelis as Miss fFoliot-fFoulkes is a treat. She is genuinely funny, and has a knack for saying more with just a look than anyone else in the cast. Daniel Melin is strong as Simon Mostyn, and along with Scott and Caletta LaPlante (Louise), is one of the strongest and most consistent when it comes to applying his accent. Most everyone has an accent in this production, but I found during Saturday’s performance that most of them were hit or miss throughout the show. In most cases, it’s better to forego the accent altogether than to start the show with it, have it go away and then jump back in later with a certain word or phrase that reminds the audience that the character does, in fact, have one. Accents notwithstanding, Murder on the Nile is generally well acted. Some of the young talent on stage here is impressive as well, namely the aforementioned Caletta along with Grace Smith, whose Jaqueline De-Severac is a veritable spectrum of emotion and very well played.

The cast is filled out by Hannah Jones as the ship’s steward, Holly Burns as the wonderful Christina Grant, Cameron Reeves as a socialist named Smith, Peter Taafe as Dr. Bessner who always seems to want to give someone an injection of some sort, Kim Higueria as the socialite Kay Mostyn, and finally Sophia LaPlante and Sydney Sandstrom, the latter two portraying multiple supporting characters.

Peggy Whelen is the director of Port Gamble’s Murder on the Nile, and she has put together a nice production here. I was a little confused at some of the lighting on Saturday night, flashes behind the stage seemed to imply a storm that wasn’t there, and some areas of the stage remained dark when they perhaps should have been lighter during a scene here or there, but all and all it’s designed and constructed very well. I’ve since been informed that the lighting issues were caused by a system issue, so we’ll consider that part of the “romance and thrill” of live theatre. The overall look of the show from Scenic Designer Janet English and Set Designer Brad Camp stays simple, and I like that here. There are no clunky set changes or delays while things are moved here and there on stage, rather the single set provides a good flow, and allows for the focus of this show to be on the actors, which with this group is a good thing. Peggy has also prepared this cast well, conversations are, outside of a few pauses while actors searched for lines which I’ll chalk up to opening weekend, natural and well paced. The cast acts through the end of their scenes too, even when it takes them offstage, to one of the more implied locations on the steamer.

Murder on the Nile, onstage at Port Gamble Theatre through October 22, is a comfortable telling of a familiar whodunit. It is simply designed and well acted, and is a good fit for the historic building in which it’s being presented. It’s well worth the trip to historic Port Gamble to take it in.

For more information on reviewed shows, please visit the theatre websites listed below:

Port Gamble Theatre - http://portgambletheater.com/home.html

Also on Stage:
Ken Ludwig’s Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood - Village Theatre (Issaquah through 10/15; Everett 10/21-11/12)
The Turn of the Screw - BCT (through 10/16)
Last Drive to Dodge - Taproot Theatre (through 10/21)

Coming Soon:
Cry It Out - As If Theatre (opens 10/12; through 10/29)
Little Shop of Horrors - Auburn Community Players (opens 10/13; through 10/22)
The Prom - Bainbridge Performing Arts (opens 10/13; through 10/29)
Baskerville - WWCA (opens 10/13; through 10/29)
Bloodletting - Pork Filled Productions (opens 10/19; through 11/04)
Doubt: A Parable - Jewel Box (opens 10/20; through 10/29)
Misery - Tacoma Little Theatre (opens 10/20; through 11/05)
Meteor Shower - Second Story Rep (opens 10/20; through 11/12)
The Merry Wives of Windsor - Seattle Shakespeare (opens 10/25; through 11/12)
Andelana - Dukesbay (opens 10/27; through 11/19)
Cry It Out - inD Theatre (opens 10/27; through 11/12)
Ring of Fire - BCT (opens 10/27; through 11/19)