Murder on the NileBy Agatha ChristieDirected by Rachel LindleyProduced by Richardson Theatre Centre
Agatha Christie's Murder on the Nile, a classic Christie whodunit, has been described by Leah D. Frank of the New York Times as “as slick a vehicle as any theatre company could wish for.”
The same could be said of Greg Smith’s immersive set – a grand and beautifully executed rendition of the observation deck of the paddle steamer Lotus, a luxury vessel designed to ferry people of a certain class up and down Egypt’s Nile. Costumes by Elise Whitemere, Light Design by Kenneth Hall, and Sound Design by Rusty Harding subtly enhance the overall vibe of 1940’s quiet luxury.
Upon arrival, theatre patrons find their seats by entering through the Lotus’ promenade, and the start of the show is signaled by the Steward (Elizabeth Niksich) and Captain (Steve Niksich) securing the deck’s safety chains for departure, and we are introduced to the ensemble of suspects.
First, Miss Ffoliot-ffoulkes, an elder aristocrat played deliciously by Karen Jordan and her darling niece Christina Grant (Ainsley Horan) encounter the chatty solo traveler William Smith (Gustavo Rodriguez). They are followed shortly by Miss Ffoliot-ffoulkes’ maid Louise (Kate Crawford) and a Dr. Bessner (Lloyd Webb).
After the group has made acquaintance, they depart to their cabins and we meet a second core group: old friends who, by coincidence or maybe not, find themselves reunited on a honeymoon cruise for newlyweds Kay Ridgeway Mosten (Alison Schonhiff) and Simon Mosten (Collin Miller). Kay quickly learns that her guardian, Canon Penefather (Alidor Lefere), and best friend Jacqueline de Severac (Natasha Braun) have unexpectedly joined the cruise.
What was considered “shocking and audacious” when the play debuted in 1946 is perhaps less so in 2023, but the journey is suspenseful nonetheless. To wit - at intermission, my plus one and I made our predictions for the big reveal and we were both wrong!!
Indeed, the misdirects are plentiful, but so is the exposition. Fortunately, each of the cast has brought such craft and authenticity to their characters that even the longer “talky” scenes hold your attention.
Schonhoff, Miller, Braun and Lefere have a savory slow-boil chemistry as they catch up on recent life events, and this energy serves as a powerful undercurrent throughout the entirety of the play. The generational dynamic between Jordan and Grant is both timeless and a little too familiar to some of us – you will absolutely love to hate how Jordan’s Ffoliot-ffoulkes treats Grant’s precious Christina, and applaud when Rodriguez deftly delivers the best line of the show in retort to Jordan’s perfectly tone deaf reactions to everyone around her.
We are teased in the curtain speech that one of the cast is making their very first stage appearance – and that if you don’t know who it is you will not be able to guess. And it’s true, but for quickly scanning the program as the lights went down, I would never have guessed that this was Kate Crawford’s acting debut. Louise is a challenging role requiring physical comedy and accent work, and Crawford’s performance is seamless.
Murder on the Nile continues through November 5, richardsontheatrecentre.net for tickets and showtimes.
Audience Rating: PG - gunshots, imagery
Run Time: 2 hours 20 minutes, including a 15 minute intermission
Accessible Seating: Available
Hearing Devices: Not Available
Sensory Friendly Performance: Not Available
Production Sound Level: Comfortable Volume
Noises or Visuals to Prepare For: Gunshots, Screams
Cheers!
Jenny
Comments
Post a Comment