Stage Review - Murder on the Orient Express (Red Curtain Foundation for the Arts)

Stage Review - Murder on the Orient Express
Presented By: Red Curtain Foundation for the Arts - Marysville, WA
Show Run: February 06 - March 01, 2026
Date Reviewed: Sunday, February 15, 2026
Run Time: 2 Hours, 30 Minutes (including a 15-minute intermission)
Reviewed by: Greg Heilman

If there’s one thing that proves a story’s staying power, it’s the number of films, plays, and other adaptations that use it as their source. So it is with Agatha Christie’s classic Murder on the Orient Express. It’s a story that plays into the alluring romance of rail travel—the rhythm of the tracks, the elegance of a bygone era, and the quiet promise that everyone aboard is headed somewhere important. First published in 1934 by Agatha Christie, the novel introduced one of her most famous mysteries, placing detective Hercule Poirot aboard a snowbound train filled with strangers, each carrying secrets of their own. It also feels like a story that never quite leaves the stage; every year seems to bring a new production, and having seen this show as many times as I have, I’ve developed a strong sense of what works—and what doesn’t. Ken Ludwig’s adaptation embraces the theatrical challenge, asking designers and performers alike to navigate a story that moves quickly between locations while maintaining tension and clarity. It’s no small undertaking. The demands on scenic design alone are significant, requiring fluid transitions and inventive staging, and in some productions, that very ambition can tip the balance—allowing the mechanics of the world to overshadow both the story and the performances at its center. Now playing at Red Curtain Foundation for the Arts in Marysville under the direction of Scott B. Randall, this production leans fully into that ambition, inviting audiences into a confined world where a shocking murder turns a luxurious journey into a race against time, and every passenger becomes a suspect.

Scott, who also serves as set designer, has constructed an undeniably impressive physical environment. The train itself dominates the stage, from glimpses of passengers through upstage windows to a dining car that stretches across the full width of the playing space. The craftsmanship—brought to life by lead builders Werner “Randy” Randall and Layton Gaskins along with a full construction team—is meticulous, and at times breathtaking. The audience’s spontaneous applause for the set is well earned; it is, quite simply, a striking piece of stage engineering.

Yet that same ambition becomes a double-edged sword. The large, modular set pieces—cleverly designed to separate, reveal interiors, and transform from exterior train to staterooms—require time to shift, reset, and reconfigure. These transitions require quite the effort, and that’s where the excellent stage crew that Scott has assembled under Layton’s stage management guidance comes in, and while visually interesting, the nature of these incredible set pieces and their respective scene changes interrupt the narrative flow and create a stop-and-start rhythm that undercuts the mounting tension essential to the mystery. What should feel like a tightening web of suspicion instead unfolds more like a series of vignettes, each moment distinct but lacking connective urgency.

The opening moments establish promise, with a flashback to the kidnapping of Daisy Armstrong, aided by voiceover, setting the emotional stakes of the story. From there, the audience is introduced to the eclectic group of passengers aboard the Orient Express, as well as Michael G. McFadden as legendary detective Hercule Poirot. Michael brings a deliberate physicality to the role, though his characterization leans into mannerisms that at times read more broadly European than specifically Belgian, occasionally pulling focus from the precision and razor-sharp intellect that define the character.

The primary ensemble features Jay Jenkins as Monsieur Bouc, Marli Bartness as Helen Hubbard, Jillian Wheeler as Countess Andrenyi, Alex Williams as Orient Express conductor Michel, Bruce Erickson as Samuel Ratchett, Michael DelaRosa as Colonel Arbuthnot, Susan Bachmann as Princess Dragomiroff, Cassie Fox as Greta Ohlsson, and Daniel Hanlon as Hector MacQueen. The group commits fully to the heightened tone of the piece, though at times that commitment tips into caricature. Jay’s Bouc, in particular, is played broadly for comedy, bordering on buffoonery, while several performances lean into exaggerated choices that make the dialogue feel more forced than natural.

Additional performers round out the world of the play through supporting roles and voiceover work, particularly in the flashback sequences depicting the Daisy Armstrong case. These moments, often staged in darkness and delivered through voice, are effective in concept and help ground the narrative’s emotional stakes, even if they occasionally feel disconnected from the forward momentum of the main action. That heightened style also affects key moments of suspense. A scene in which a character discovers the aftermath of the murder, for instance, loses impact due to a lack of visual clarity—the horror described in dialogue isn’t fully realized on stage, diminishing what should be a chilling reveal. Similarly, lines meant to build intrigue often land as matter-of-fact, further softening the tension.

Design elements beyond the set show thoughtful detail. Costuming by Spencer Bartholomew and Quinne Everett, with assistance from Michele Palmer and Kate Dohr, helps define character and status, while Katie Dreesen’s dialect work supports the show’s international cast of characters. Yana Ramos’s sound design underscores the action effectively, though the production would benefit from using these elements to heighten urgency rather than waiting for the next scenic transition.

Where the production truly finds its footing is in the final reveal. Stripped of the need for constant movement and spectacle, the scene allows the actors to take center stage, and the story finally breathes. Here, the emotional weight and moral complexity of Christie’s narrative come into focus, reminding us why this mystery has endured for generations.

Staging Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express is an ambitious undertaking, and Red Curtain deserves credit for tackling a piece of this scale. The craftsmanship on display is evident in every corner of the production, particularly in its striking visual design and the clear commitment from the cast and creative team. As with many productions of the classic whodunit, the balance between spectacle and storytelling is a delicate one, requiring seamless movement, sustained tension, and a strong connection to the performances at its core. At its best, this production finds those moments—particularly in its final reveal, where the story is allowed to take center stage and the emotional weight of the mystery fully lands. It’s a reminder of why this story continues to be revisited time and again, and of the unique theatrical challenge it presents to every company that dares to bring it aboard.

Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express runs on stage at Red Curtain Foundation for the Arts in Marysville through March 1. For more information, including ticket availability and sales, visit https://redcurtainfoundation.org/.

Photo credit: Kenny Randall