Review: MURDER ON THE NILE at Oyster Mill Playhouse

Agatha Christie is widely known as one of the most successful authors across the globe. Her theatrical works, including THE MOUSETRAP, AND THEN THERE WERE NONE, and LOVE FROM A STRANGER have been performed countless times since their publication and continue to be loved by all audiences today. MURDER ON THE NILE as put on by Oyster Mill Playhouse in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, is no exception to Christie's suspenseful repertoire. It is the tale of passengers from many different walks of life thrown into close quarters on a paddle steamer down the Nile River, set adrift towards drama and misfortune.

MURDER ON THE NILE is Christie's 1944 adaptation of her own novel, Death on the Nile, first published in 1937. This staged version of the story notedly does not feature her iconic character of Hercule Poirot, as Christie had grown tired of him and did not feel inclined to include him in this new adaptation. The play opened on January 17th, 1944 under the title HIDDEN HORIZON and later changed theatres and title when it moved to the Ambassadors Theatre in the West End on March 19th, 1946. MURDER ON THE NILE also ran a brief spell at The Plymouth Theatre on Broadway in September of 1946. Oyster Mill Playhouse, decades later, pays homage to this particular tale with plenty of unique and memorable characters that work together to create exactly the murder mystery that audiences are familiar with.

The story is set entirely on the paddle steamer Lotus, which is traveling down the Nile River as a sort of pleasure cruise for its passengers. Oyster Mill has crafted a lounging area of the Lotus that, aside from being very well decorated, is functional and open, allowing for easy movement and giving each audience member a great view of the actors. This is lucky for us, as each character introduced in the first scene of the show is one that we will not want to miss. Right from the start, we are treated to the antics of the Beadseller (Duffy Batzer), an energetic Egyptian vendor who is often seen during his futile attempts to sell his "exotic" wares to the passengers of the Lotus. While he appears often, his excellent body language and expressions keep the character fresh, and one that we will come to miss later in the show.

The first of the guests is Helen ffoliot-ffulkes (yes, you read that correctly), who immediately conjures the image of Lovey Howell from Gilligan's Island. Portrayed by Kathy Luft, Helen is an aging woman from England who wonderfully snotty and selfish, donning an air of superiority the minute she takes the stage. She is obviously spoiled rotten, and has grown accustomed to a very particular kind of treatment that has come with great wealth. She is accompanied by her Scottish niece, Christina Grant, played by Marte Engle. Christina is perhaps opposite of her aunt in every way imaginable: a dreamer by nature, pleasant and humble, never expecting anything from anyone. The juxtaposition between their characters makes Luft and Engle a fine pair to watch.

Next is WilLiam Smith as played by Anthony J. Geraci, a young man who throughout the show is never without a quick remark or sarcastic comment. He is crass and opinionated, and has no qualms in regards to being remarkably outspoken. Aside from the Beadseller, Smith is perhaps the closest resemblance to comic relief offered in MURDER ON THE NILE, an aloof man holding himself at a distance from the other characters when he's not poking fun at them. However, he later proves himself to be more sincere than he lets on, but keeps his confidence and charm within close reach. Geraci proves himself to be quite handy with comedic timing, and his performance was one of the best in the show.

Dr. Ludwig Bessner is next to arrive onboard, and William O'Donnell does an excellent job of marking this man as a scholar, one who has acquired a wealth of knowledge over the years and is very enthusiastic about sharing it with his fellow passengers. While not a character featured very often, Dr. Bessner is a passionate man. Despite moments where he could have used a bit more confidence, O'Donnell should be commended for also adding a bit of humor into the show at times when the mood had turned rather sour. After Dr. Bessner, the audience is introduced to the most important characters in the show: Simon Mostyn (Bryan DeWalt), Kay Ridgeway-Mostyn (Miranda Baldys), and Canon Ambrose Pennefather (Charles Smith).

Simon and Kay are newlyweds, and have boarded the Lotus as a means of escape from Simon's ex-fiancee and Kay's ex-best friend, Jacqueline de Severac. From the moment they arrive, they appear to be very much in love despite drastically different worldviews. Kay radiates "proper upbringing," confident and assured of her own ability to get her own way. Kay wants the world, and isn't afraid to grab it herself. Bladys creates a character that, while drastically different from the audience and continuously wrapped in an aura of sophistication, appeals to them anyway. She is bold, she is worldly, and she is intelligent, and Bladys brought each of these elements to her performance. Kay's husband, Simon, is more of the realist of the two, who despite being the voice of reason in response to Kay's ideas is in some ways more naive and trusting. However, DeWalt is a Simon that will stand his ground and step up to the plate when he needs to, especially later in the show. But there are times when he seems to be lacking a bit in emotion, or falls short of the reaction that the situation suggested.

In a strange coincidence, Kay's guardian is also on board the Lotus, Canon Ambrose Pennefather, played by Charles Smith. He is a close friend of Kay's father and had a strong hand in raising her, putting him at the center of affairs as the show progresses. He immediately gives off a kindly air, one of sage wisdom and almost grandfatherly advice. However, he also has grand ideas, and Smith is able to balance the idealistic side of Ambrose with the side of him hard-wired for reason and logic. Smith's Ambrose truly had a quality about him that made him automatically trustworthy, one that "makes [the others] listen" when he speaks. This proves to be an invaluable skill, especially when Jacqueline de Severac makes her appearance.

Portrayed by Kimberly MacAlister, Jacqueline is immediately all arrogance and manipulation. Her presence on the Lotus is obviously driven by revenge, as she wants to make Kay and Simon suffer for causing her so much pain with their marriage. MacAlister's Jacqueline is truly dynamic: intelligent yet desperate, and also slightly clingy and crazy. Her anger is very natural, and leaves us with every reason to mark her as a likely suspect.

The show devotes a great deal of time to establishing each character in detail, and giving each of them a motive when the time comes to catch the criminal. Everyone is a suspect, so when the murder occurs in the second act, there is no way of knowing who had committed the treacherous act. Tensions between the characters begin to rise, and even those who seem innocent are called into question. One of these is the maid, Louise, who the audience had almost forgotten about until she begins to act in a strange manner. Played by Mary Geraci, Louise Quickly became one of the reviewer's favorite characters. Her combination of wit and anger was one that took a large amount of talent, and I was thoroughly convinced her outrage. While her role was small, it was incredibly well-done.

As the investigation begins to unravel, we see development in characters such as Simon, who previously stayed out of complicated affairs but now throws himself into the middle of them, spurred on by the murder of his wife. Each member of the cast had created characters that the audience had invested their attention in, making them interested in the outcome and finding themselves attempting to solve the murder along with Ambrose, who had taken charge of the whole affair. The story begins to piece itself together, and when the murderer is finally revealed, one is left with a considerable amount of shock. However, this is not due so much as to the identity of the crook, but rather the reasonings behind their actions. The explanation of each piece of evidence and the final outcome is very clear, leaving the audience with a sound understanding of events.

MURDER ON THE NILE at Oyster Mill Playhouse is a classic murder mystery, weaving together elements of suspense, drama, wit, and even humor to spin a tale that is enjoyed by all. While the pacing of the show seems a bit slow during some moments, and the use of audio not always up to par, MURDER ON THE NILE leaves one with the satisfaction of having witnessed enjoyable performances. Each member of the cast brought their own special brand of talent to the show, though the European accents used by the majority of the cast could use a bit of a tweaking. Despite this, the production well worth a trip to Camp Hill from York. Test your own intelligence at MURDER ON THE NILE, and unravel this gripping mystery for yourself.

Presented by Oyster Mill Playhouse through February 12th. Next is THE SPITFIRE GRILL. Visit oystermill.com.

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