Review: DEATH ON THE NILE at Arena Stage

With Ken Ludwig's adaptation of Agatha Christie's Death on the Nile, Arena Stage's new Artistic Director, Hana S. Sharif, debuts as Director. The sumptuousness of the production may not quite balance with the slightness of the script, but as amusement during the holiday season, Death on the Nile offers fine performances, the fun of puzzling out a mystery, and stunningly beautiful visual elements.

Brittany Bland's projection design provides proscenium-filling film and stills of the many places and things that don't fit into theatres: the Nile, the small ship cruising it, and Egypt in general as well as the Temple of Dendur in particular. Then Alexander Dodge's versatile set brings to luxurious life the wood-panelled lounge aboard the SS Karnak, where much of the play's action takes place, along with the outdoor promenade deck of the ship, so essential to Dame Agatha's and Ludwig's complicated exposition and intricate plotting. Karen Perry's costumes go beyond superb. Everyone's in white day wear for the hot summer tourist visit to the Pyramids: sporty and elegant. The evening dresses (and the changes of evening dresses; indeed the sheer NUMBER of evening dresses--how many sequin-skinned Sekhmets and Horuses [Hori?] died providing fabric for Perry's garments. . . .?): gorgeous. Felicia Curry's business suit for daytime, tailored in a bold red and white print (Curry plays Pennington, the not necessarily trustworthy trustee of Linnet Ridgeway's finances): one of a kind. And Eric Hissom's dinner jacket (he plays the out of work fourth rate actor, at sea until he finds his real calling and true love while, um, at sea) makes him look, amid the ladies' gowns, as one character accurately gushes, like a stained glass window. Hercule Poirot, of course, wears a tailored suit which matches in color his little grey cells.

In addition to solving the mystery, this Poirot also narrates the plot. Death on the Nile is a bit of an R-rated story with a grim outcome; having Poirot break the fourth wall to remonstrate with the audience about good and evil is more awkward than significant. But as Poirot, Armando Durán has flair and panache. He knows how to underplay--a difficult secret sauce, actually a Black Belt skill in the craft of acting. Durán est formidable! Olivia Cygan (Ridgeway) and Katie Kleiger (her rival, Jackie de Bellefort) bring the right amount of hyper- to their roles. Each of these characters stars in her own melodrama, and Cygan and Kleiger appropriately don't try to turn them into real people b/c that would spoil the farcical fun. Ken Ludwig seems to know that Dame Agatha cared more about plot than character (with the exception of Poirot and Miss Marple), so he wisely follows her lead, and Sharif paces the action and places the emphases accordingly. But Nancy Robinette's enchanting Salomé Otterbourne simply overflows with three-dimensionality; Otterbourne's foolish and be-sequinned outer layer covers a lovely lady, quite capable of growth and change. In a script full of stereotypes, Robinette proves the rule with her exceptional characterization. Death on the Nile could have as its subtitle . . . or how Mrs. Otterbourne Learned to Get Real and Bag a Nice Guy. Mrs. O. is a great creation; Robinette owns her.

So Sharif's Death on the Nile (through December 29) makes an entertaining, escapist placeholder while the DC audience waits to see what she'll choose to direct next, perhaps something to engage at a deeper level.

[Photo by T. Charles Erickson Photography, L-R, Eric Hissom (Septimus Troy), Nancy Robinette (Salomé Otterbourne), Sumié Yotsukura (Rosalie Otterbourne), Katie Kleiger (Jacqueline de Bellefort), Armando Durán (Hercule Poirot), Felicia Curry (Annabelle Pennington), Jamil A.C. Mangan (Colonel Race).  running time, c. 2.5 hours]

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