THE MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD Comes to Florida Rep Next Month

Florida Repertory Theatre will present “The Murder of Roger Ackroyd,” Agatha Christie’s most beloved whodunit story, playing November 26 through December 15, 2024, in the Historic Arcade Theatre. Tickets start at $67 and may be purchased online at www.floridarep.org or by calling the box office at 239-332-4488 or toll-free at 877-787-8053.

Agatha Christie’s “The Murder of Roger Ackroyd” was voted the best crime novel ever written by the British Crime Writer’s Association, and Mark Shanahan’s play is the first time the classic novel has been adapted for the stage. The thrilling plot features a mysterious cast of suspects in a world filled with secrets, gossip, misdirection, red herrings, plot twists, and a tangled murder investigation that only the great Hercule Poirot, Christie’s most famous detective, can solve. Set in the idyllic English village of King’s Abbot, a tight-knit community where everybody knows everybody else’s business – and murder doesn’t seem possible – becomes a hotbed of suspicion and intrigue when wealthy and eccentric aristocrat Roger Ackroyd is found dead.

“We are very pleased to present the regional premiere of Mark Shanahan’s new stage adaptation of this Christie fan-favorite story,” said producing artistic director Greg Longenhagen. “Audiences are in for a sleuthing treat. Shanahan has lovingly adapted Christie’s novel for the stage, and our top-notch cast and creative team are bringing it to life so audiences may try to work out who among the suspicious characters murdered Roger Ackroyd!”

The cast features Florida Rep ensemble members V Craig Heidenreich (“And Then There Were None”), Sara Morsey (“The Gin Game”), and Jason Parrish (“A Sherlock Carol”), returning guest actors Dana Brooke (“And Then There Was None”) and Jackie Schram (“A Sherlock Carol”). New York-based actors Ezra Barnes, James Beaman, Christian Pedersen, and Gys de Villiers – each with notable theatrical credits on Broadway and regional stages across the country – make their Florida Rep debuts. The cast also features Jillian Hall, Jacqueline St. Pierre, and Jameson Stobbe, members of the Florida Rep 2024-2025 acting intern company.

Charles Morey, the former artistic director at Pioneer Playhouse (Utah) and Peterborough Playhouse (New Hampshire), returns to Florida Rep after directing “Twelve Angry Men” in 2016 to direct this production. He is joined by an expert creative team including ensemble set designer Ray Recht (“The Gin Game”), Costume Designer Charlene Gross (“Beehive”), sound designer Braden Downing (“Ben Butler”), lighting designer ensemble member Todd O. Wren (“Forever Plaid”), and stage manager Melissa Nathan (“The Miracle Worker”).

Single ticket prices for “The Murder of Roger Ackroyd” are $67 for regular performances from November 29 through December 15 with discounted preview performances on November 26 and 26 starting at $49. Student tickets are available for $15. There is no performance on Thursday, November 28 in observance of Thanksgiving.

Curtain times are 7 PM Tuesday through Saturday with 2 PM matinees on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, and 8 PM for the opening night performance on Friday, November 29.  Florida Rep's parking lot opens 2 hours before each performance and offers guests FREE PARKING across the street from the Arcade Theatre.

“Adapting the novel for the stage was a labor of love,” said playwright Mark Shanahan. “I’ve been fortunate to work on many of Mrs. Christie’s plays as both an actor and director, and I have learned a great deal from studying her wonderful sense of theatricality. To appreciate her as a playwright is to marvel at the economy of her puzzles, the parade of wonderful characters she introduces, and the healthy doses of both suspense and humor she routinely serves up at just the right moment.”

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