Murder on the Orient Express UK Tour at Malvern Theatres Review

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Tue 12 Nov 2024 - Sat 03 May 2025

This famous murder mystery has been transferred to the stage by a director who's fast making a name for herself as an Agatha Christie specialist. I caught the whodunnit at Malvern Theatres early on in its UK tour and here's how it fairs.

The big question on everyone's lips will be who plays master detective Hercule Poirot. There's huge shoes to fill, following in the footsteps of Albert Finney, Peter Ustinov and of course David Suchet on screen, but Michael Maloney is another well-known name taking on the task.

Pictured below, he's got vast experience from film, stage and TV from Kenneth Branagh movie Belfast to Netflix' The Crown. He quickly immerses himself into the intricacies and often comical characteristics of this well-loved sleuth, making him a wise choice for the role.



I saw Maloney and Murder on the Orient Express during its week-long stint at Malvern Theatres, where it stays until Saturday November 16.

It will return to the Midlands at Birmingham's Alexandra Theatre for a week from January 28 to February 1 and Cheltenham's Everyman from April 29 to May 3, 2025, where the tour concludes after visiting cities Including York, Newcastle, Bath, Sheffield, Nottingham and Brighton.

This Christie classic has been adapted to the stage by Tony award-winning playwright Ken Ludwig, who keeps the tempo pacey and finds interesting ways for each suspect to be interviewed by Poirot without it getting mundane.



Then there's Lucy Bailey directing, who has built up quite a repertoire of Christie classics now. She was behind the sublime Witness For The Prosecution in London and the terrifying and haunting version of And Then There Were None that toured last year.

She's come up with a winner once again using a lavish, ingenious set using a train compartment that rotates around the stage. There's smoke that smells like a train pulling out from the station and a screen to add more atmosphere and background to the case.

For those not familiar with the plot, it is all set around a train - the most luxurious in the world. Poirot manages to unexpectedly get on board the world-famous Orient Express heading from Istanbul to Paris, when one of the First Class passengers is found murdered.



There's a cavalcade of characters and in typical whodunnit fashion, they all come under suspicion. Those familiar with the book and film will notice that the number of suspects has been whittled down slightly from 12 to eight and the young, beautiful Hungarian Countess Elena Adreyni is now a trained doctor assisting Poirot.

It also feels right that the darker nature of murder victim Samuel Ratchett isn't shied away from and he's far more menacing than how he was portrayed in the films.

As a hardcore Christie fan, I can honestly say it still works well with the updates and remains faithful to the thriller. In fact, there are many nods to the novels and the ITV series that I loved, from the way that Poirot stands bathed in light to catching the humorous, romantic and ferocious nature of his personality.



I may know this crime caper inside out but it stills feel fresh and fascinating to watch, which is a credit to the whole team behind it and front of stage.

Maloney stands out as Poirot - the glue that binds the show together - but there's a fine cast surrounding him. All are slick and on form, in the same style as The Mousetrap but Christine Kavanagh as Helen Hubbard, Debbie Chazen as Princess Dragomiroff and Rebecca Charles as Greta Ohlsson have more free reign to shine with their eccentric characters.

This new Murder on the Orient Express is an exhilarating, atmospheric must-see production for Agatha Christie fans that looks and feels first class. It brings to life all the best things about the Queen of Crime's novels - the tension, humour, devilish plots and eccentric characters. So don't miss this thrilling ride of a show.

Rating: Five out of five stars


Age Guidance is 12+ due to violent themes in the play
Running time: 2 hours 15 minutes including an interval

Book tickets at Malvern Theatres website here for this week. Tickets cost from £24.

See all the UK tour dates here and more information. Murder On The Orient Express also visits York, Newcastle, Bath, Sheffield, Nottingham and Brighton.

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