Review Roundup: MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS at Everyman Theatre - Read the Reviews!

Everyman Theatre continues its 2019/2020 season with Agatha Christie's famous whodunit-the literary, cinematic, and now theatrical classic, Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express. Everyman's production, directed by Founding Artistic Director Vincent M. Lancisi and adapted by noted playwright Ken Ludwig (Lend Me A Tenor, Crazy For You), runs December 3, 2019, through January 5, 2020.

It is 1934, and while on holiday in Istanbul, the world's greatest detective-Hercule Poirot (played by Everyman Resident Company Member Bruce Randolph Nelson*†) receives a telegram pleading for his quick return to London to work on a new case. He manages to snag a last-minute ticket to board the ultra-luxe, otherwise fully-booked railway, The Orient Express, thanks to his old buddy Monsieur Bouc (Jefferson A. Russell*†), who works for the train company.

Let's see what the critics are saying...

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Patricia Mitchell, DC Metro: I feel like it's redundant to keep saying it, but the Everyman Resident Company is exceptionally talented. And the guest artists they bring in are equally skilled. An unsurprising standout in this production is Bruce Randolph Nelson as Hercule Poirot. He's haughty and saucy and knows he's the smartest guy in the room. Nelson is an adept physical actor whose posture, gestures, and expressions as Poirot convey scores more than his lines alone. Danny Gavigan (Colonel Arbuthnot/Samuel Ratchett) and Lilian Oben as Countess Andrenyi also give excellent performances.

Simone Ellin, J More: Complementing the Great Performances is the show's incredible staging. David Burdick's 1930s-era costumes are splendid, and Daniel Ettinger's sumptuous art-deco sets and windows that look out onto a snowstorm scene make audience members feel they, too, are passengers on the Orient Express.

Jayne Blanchard, DC Theatre Scene: From Daniel Ettinger's gilded art deco set-all sleekly moving parts and opulent décor-and Harold F. Burgess II's golden age of Hollywood-style lighting, to David Burdick's gasp-worthy 1930s costumes, Anne Nesmith's clever wigs and Rasean Davonte Johnson's atmospheric projection design, Orient Express opens up before you like a Cartier jewelry box lined in velvet and filled with luxe surprises.

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