Agatha Christie left a treasure trove of sinister murder plots and memorable characters to future adopters, along with the world’s most comprehensive set of blueprints for designing meticulously constructed criminal organizations. . Set in the 1920s and ’30s, the story of poisoners and traitors is skillfully stitched in the right hands and feels fresh, even spicy, for modern audiences.
A good example is the world premiere adaptation of the author’s work. death on the nile At Arena Stage, local legend Ken Ludwig pinpoints the tumultuous center of one of the author’s most popular mysteries, first published in 1937. Ludwig removes some characters from the book, invents or reinvents others, and nails the frenetic love triangle that propels the story. A story set on the steamship Karnak sailing on the Nile River.
Hana Sharif is directing her first Arena production since coming on board as the company’s artistic director in 2023, starting with Armand Durand as famed Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, a passenger on board the Karnak. The list has an effective cast.
Poirot doesn’t make much of an actual discovery in this iteration, other than his usual shrewd observation, but Durand aptly conveys his authority as a crime solver. And Durand perfectly captures the detective’s worldly nature, especially in contrast to Jamil A.C. Mangan’s charming performance as Poirot’s friend Colonel Reiss.
Poirot’s vacation may be interrupted by a bloody murder, but he still feels a small thrill in leading the search for the killer. Literally a boatload of suspects that you have to ponder, interrogate, and ultimately solve multiple crimes.
Ludwig’s adaptation, while largely adhering to Christie’s plot, brings in some surprises in the arrangement of certain key events. Unfortunately, in Sharif’s direction, neither of the two key crime scenes are all that convincing. One is because it’s very difficult to drop a rock on someone on stage, and the other is because the lighting, occlusions, and stage decorations don’t play a role. It makes it difficult for the audience to see the true identity of the criminal.
Kenneth Posner’s lighting accentuates the action well, and Alexander Dodge’s sets for the ship and other locations are impressively luxurious and well utilized. But while the sets are beautiful, at times they serve as mere backdrops for Karen Perry’s stunning period costumes. Each stunning dress, shawl, and scarf speaks volumes about the world of wealth and resulting greed depicted here.
For the performers, inhabiting these larger-than-life characters means inhabiting their lavish wardrobes. And no character is more extravagant in style and personality than Nancy Robinette’s Salome Otterborn, a romance novelist turned actress and self-described eccentric in training.
Giving the show’s most enjoyable comedic performance, Robinette is a real delight as Salome, and Sumie Yokura aptly plays Salome’s reserved daughter Rosalie. Ludwig inserts a romance between Rosalie and the ship’s young doctor, the bland Rameses Prado, played by Ryan Michael Neely, but it doesn’t garner much rooting interest.
The story centers around selfish heiress Lynette Ridgway (Olivia Cygan), her best friend Jacqueline de Belfort (Katie Kreiger), and the handsome man in the middle Simon Doyle (Travis Van Winkle) is involved in a love triangle.
The trio of Cygan, Kreiger, and Van Winkle provides some amusing sparks as Lynette, Jacqueline, and Simon alternate between amorous devotion and mean-spirited rivalry. It’s more interesting than murder and intrigue, more interested in romance and comedy, and more entertaining than intense.
In fact, the murder mystery is put together somewhat perfunctorily, with sharp glances and a nod to the Poirot metaphor of gathering suspects to dramatically reveal the final accusation.
This is definitely a better joke than the one about the actor who turned down the role opposite Katharine Hepburn in a 1937 film. african queena film made by Hepburn in 1951. Why that movie survived rehearsals is a mystery we might need Hercule Poirot to solve.
Death on the Nile (★★★☆☆) runs through Dec. 29 at Arena Stage, 1101 6th St. SW. Tickets range from $59 to $179. Call 202-488-3300 or visit: www.arenastage.org.
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
