Murder on the Orient Express is such a classic of a whodunnit that is frequently referenced or quoted in pop culture. If you haven’t heard of it until now, I definitely recommend a read before you find out whodunnit through word of mouth. The story follows an eclectic group of passengers aboard a train where a snowstorm has halted the train in its tracks and all aboard are stuck with a corpse of a fellow passenger. Detective Poirot is thrown into a whirlwind of booze, firearms, and a litany of alibis to figure out the who has done it in a murder most foul.

This is the first time I’ve seen this play live and my umpteenth Sock ‘n’ Buskin show. I’m a huge supporter of student shows because we all need somewhere to learn and grow in safe and supportive environments. This production of Murder on the Orient Express was a delight to watch and has me waiting to see a couple of actors in other productions in local theatre.

General Direction

Having a show with such varied characters is extremely hard, especially when certain characters are required to have an accent. Accent work is extremely hard to do accurately and consistently. All the actors who had an accent did a fairly great job keeping the consistency throughout the show. I was extremely impressed with Michel the Conductor (Kirby Steinke). They had a fabulous Parisian accent that really accentuated their character. I was also blown away by Helen Hubbard’s (Hayley Forbes) Midwestern Accent. It added some nice contrast to the English and French accents within the cast.

The direction of whodunnits are always difficult in my eyes. As a director, you have a lot to consider when creating a scene to provide clues: what words are being said, what does the scene physically look like, and how does the demeanour of each character affect the context clues. That being said, this whodunnit felt more like a retelling of a story and not a mystery.

Plays are odd when it comes to sound projection because mics are rarely used. In a theatre like Kailash Mital, it’s usually not a problem; however, a lot of dialogue was lost either because of rushed words or not waiting for audience reactions.

Design

I love projector work and it adds a lot of detail when done well. The usage of a snow projection to moonlight as working lights during set transitions was clever, but way too overused. I wish there were more ways of showing that the train was in a snowstorm rather than relying on the projection itself. There was also a scene that made me extremely uncomfortable with the usage of flashing lights. There is a flashing lights warning, but I was not prepared for a scene that rivaled the technicolour nightmare of the tunnel scene from the original Willy Wonka.

I love simple sets that lets the viewer use our imagination and the sets were really well done! My only problem came was the division of space and the usage of a door. When the cabins were divided, I wish there was consistency in invisible barriers because characters would walk through a door and then not walk back through it; rather, walking what I presumed would have been a wall.

Costumes, Hair, and Makeup

Wonderfully done in keeping to the time era in all aspects! Some suits were a bit baggy, but altogether a very well put together costumes department. Supposedly, these events were done over a couple of days and I wish there were some changes in costumes to show that passage of time.

Standouts

My biggest standout was Hayley Forbes who stole the limelight with each entrance. She embodied the obnoxious Helen Hubbard and had me laughing a lot. Monsieur Bouc (Gabriel McAlpine) was also an extremely strong contender for big standout. A great presence on stage and gave a great portrayal of a nervous director of the train.

Overall, this was a very well done presentation of Murder on the Orient Express and I was content with the show I had seen. I believe that this is a solid show and the cast and crew should be extremely proud of the work they’ve done! Make sure to catch the show while it’s here and support local student art!