Interview: Mylinda Hull of AGATHA CHRISTIE'S MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS at The Old Globe

Mylinda Hull brings a sparkling comedic and song-and-dance character to life as Helen in "Agatha Christie’s Murder on The Orient Express," which is running through October 20th at The Old Globe Theatre. Mylinda talks about bringing this comedic twist on a murder mystery to life on stage, working with that spectacular train set, and what it's like coming back to San Diego to play on the iconic Old Globe stage.

Mylinda Hull is a San Diego Broadway baby. She grew up and learned about performing before performing worldwide and finally calling Brooklyn home. Now, she can be seen as Helen Hubbard, an American well-to-do socialite who plays a tourist all over Europe. In the role, Hull shines with comedic wit, singing and playing it up to the audience's delight.

This Ken Ludwig adaptation is a comedic take on the classic murder mystery about a murder on a train trip that famed detective Hercule Poirot (played by Andrew Sellon) investigates. Hull says that this take on the classic story offers something for everyone.

“This particular production has everything one could wish for in an evening at the theatre.  We take a classic Agatha Christie murder mystery, elevate it with a hilarious adaptation by Ken Ludwig, I mean full belly laughs all night long, then elevate it even further with the remarkable direction by Peter Amster that makes sure the actors and the audience never lose sight of the love and the moral question of true justice which drives the play. So you get high comedy and emotional depth.  Also, audiences actually gasp and applaud for the set, the costumes are stunning, there are cinematic elements, musical elements. It really is a full and delicious meal.”

Mylinda says she was familiar with the story and previous movie adaptations, but this script offered something so different and fun to play that she knew she had to be involved.

“I had seen the movies and read the book a while ago, but Ken Ludwig’s adaptation is so fresh and funny I really got to work from scratch and I knew my Helen Hubbard from the moment I read the play.  That’s what great writing can do.  And I feel at home working on shows set in the 1930s.  I’m a huge fan of all the Fred and Ginger movies, and I have a particular love for the sort of repertory cast of character actors in those movies. Helen Broderick, Edward Everett Horton, Eric Blore, these are idols of mine, so to do a play where I can employ the style and speed and lightness of comedy, that is a thrill and also a tribute to keep their legacy alive."

Never fear, though; this comedic adaptation does not shy away from the powerful themes that make this murder mystery so enduring almost a century after it was published that still resonates today.

“The play is so funny and so full of laughs but there are also bits that deal with the grief that is the catalyst for the whole story. Grief that has to do with violence against a child and I find that we as a society are holding onto a lot of grief.  I think every time we hear a news report about violence against children or young people we all feel a great deal of grief that we don’t know what to do with. 

Coming to the theatre and sort of examining that communal grief through a communal art, making some room to feel it, begins to lighten us all.  The best way to access those corners of the heart is to really shake 'em open with an evening full of big, fat laughs.  That’s one reason why going to the theatre is important, and why you will always feel better after you do.”

One of her favorite moments, and one she is always excited for the audience to experience, is the reveal of the train designed by Paul Tate DePoo III.

“The first time the audience sees the interior of the train actually come together is a thrill. It is a moment that can only happen in live theatre, created with original ideas and human power, style, and, dare I say, magic.  

 I want to shout out the interior hallway! Paul Tate DePoo’s design has so many true details of the actual Orient Express for the audience to revel in.  But as an actor, the interior hallway that connects the different cars as they are revealed, the dimensions and details of that hallway feel so real that it makes our job so much easier to feel like we are actually there on the real Orient Express. That hallway is a real gift to an actor. And it’s fun!”

Along with getting the opportunity to bring this show and her character to life along with her talented cast and the amazing creative design elements, Mylinda is very excited to be performing on The Old Globe stage.

“It has been so deeply meaningful for me to work at The Old Globe. Growing up in San Diego, my parents were subscribers and watching the plays and musicals there in the Jack O’Brien years completely shaped me as an actor. I got to idolize another set of repertory character actors with a vast range: Kandis Chappelle, Katherine McGrath, Jonathan McMurtry, and Tom Lacy, to name a few.  As a family, we couldn’t wait to open the program and see which one of our favorites would be in the show and what they would be playing. So to be on the other side of that, now to be the one on that stage, to live up to that incredibly high standard that they set for me, well it completes a little circle in my soul.”

The other part of this show, and all live theatre, that Mylinda really loves is the vital role the audience plays in every single performance.

“For me, the audience is everything. If you imagine that rehearsing a show is basically the equivalent of putting together a huge jigsaw puzzle, it is impossible to finish that puzzle without the last piece, which is the audience. They are the last, absolutely vital piece, that lets us know if we are whole, that it all fits together. This is especially true on this show, because of the whodunit aspect. Some characters need to keep Hercules Poirot guessing, and all the actors need to keep the audience guessing, so when the final reveal happens, and we hear the audience murmur and gasp, even if they have heard or seen the story before, that is our final piece, that means that we have succeeded!”

How To Get Tickets

 “Agatha Christie’s Murder on The Orient Express” plays through October 20th at The Old Globe Theatre.  For ticket and showtime information, go to www.theoldglobe.org 

Photo Credit: Photo Credit: The cast of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express. Photo by Jim Cox.

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