Michael Maloney gives a masterclass in acting as Hercule Poirot in Murder On The Orient Express. Image - Manuel Harlan
If you’re going to “kick-start” the splendid Granite Noir crime writing festival, what better way to do it than with a thrilling stage version of one of the classics of the genre, Murder On The Orient Express?
Agatha Christie’s classic locked-room murder mystery with her iconic creation, Hercule Poirot, took to the stage of His Majesty’s Theatre last night and had the entire audience rivetted for two hours solid.
If this is a precursor to what Aberdeen Performing Arts has in store for Granite Noir – which starts proper on February 20 – then crime fans are in for a treat.
Certainly, that’s what this Murder On The Orient Express is, in a production that is by turns dark, funny and enthralling every twist of the way.
Even if you know whodunnit – a likely scenario given the various screen and stage iterations – this version is full of surprises and delights.
Michael Maloney as Poirot and Simon Cotton as Samuel Ratchett in Murder On The Orient Express. Image - Manuael Harlan
First and foremost is the way it is staged. The opening sequence, an extremely chilling call back to a child murder that sits at the bleak heart of the piece, is on a black empty set, with the ensemble cast picked out in stark spotlight.
Minimalist, you might think. But director Lucy Bailey is having none of that. Early clues are laid out in an Istanbul hotel dining room as a revolve brings each character centre stage, suggesting there’s more to this show than a bare set.
And then we get to the Orient Express itself - and the big reveal of the how absolutely masterful the staging is going to be.
Train carriage corridors appear on set, with the audience peering at the characters through the windows as they interact in the narrow passageway in front of the overnight cabins. It’s almost claustrophobic.
Then the set revolves again to reveal a rich array of folk in their luxurious cabins to push the action on. It’s almost like a magician’s cabinet, turning to unveil surprise after surprise over the course of the play, including an opulent train dining carriage. It’s a brilliant touch to match the brilliance of the yarn and the ensemble cast.
The brilliant ensemble cast of Murder On The Orient Express. Image - Manuel Harlan
These diverse characters, trapped in a snowdrift in the Yugoslav mountains of 1934 have a murderer in their midst, with the corpse of an admittedly nasty piece of work found in his locked cabin sporting multiple stab wounds and a plethora of clues.
It is up to Hercule Poirot – and his little grey cells – to work out who committed the heinous act in what he calls the most challenging case of his career.
Poirot is played by Michael Maloney in a masterclass of acting. He has all the ticks and eccentricities of the Belgian detective, and that sense of charm and energy, but underlined with a rage at the very idea of a murderer escaping the full force of the law.
And his performance is matched by a fantastic ensemble cast who bring Christie's rich characters to glorious life.
Suspects come in to focus then slap down unshakeable alibis, connections are made then unmade, but Poirot perseveres stripping away layers of deceit until the truth remains – one that calls into question his unshakeable belief in what is right and what is wrong.
It is compelling stuff, and plays out like clockwork, each piece falling into place, scene after scene.
A tense scene from Murder On The Orient Express at His Majesty's Theatre. Image - Manuel Harlan
Even if you know the story, this version can still wrong foot you – including a cliffhanger ending to the first act that has you trying to remember if that happened in the book.
Ultimately, Murder On The Orient Express is far more than just your average whodunnit. It is a meditation on grief, revenge and asks what truly is justice? And it is wonderful.
To miss it would be criminal.
Murder On The Orient Express is at His Majesty’s Theatre until Saturday, February 15. You can get more information and tickets here.
Granite Noir runs at venues across the city from Thursday, February 20, to Saturday, February 23. You can find the whole programme here.
Review by Scott Begbie