Director’s Notes

AGATHA CHRISTIE’S MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS

DIRECTOR’S NOTES

BY RISA BRAININ

In March 2020, we opened this production of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express at Indiana Repertory Theatre with the full expectation that in about three weeks’ time, we’d be performing at the Playhouse. Creating the production was one of the most joyful experiences of my career. We brought together a magnificent group of actors from around the country and a first-rate design team. We were incredibly proud of the work and couldn’t wait to share it with you. When Covid hit and the world shut down, we never lost hope that we might remount the production. The cast even had Zoom reunions over the pandemic to keep that dream alive! Then the wonderful call came from Blake Robison inviting us to regroup and open the 2022-23 season. Thank you, Blake. It’s difficult to express how deeply happy we are to be coming back to this piece after two and a half years. Five of our original actors came together with five other brilliant performers to create yet another dream cast. The scenic design has been beautifully reimagined by Rob Koharchik to fit the Jarson-Kaplan Theater, and all of the designers have seized the opportunity to have a fresh look at this timeless piece. In short, we are back with renewed vigor!

And, let’s face it, who doesn’t love a good murder mystery? Published in 1934, Murder on the Orient Express has been adapted into three radio plays (1966, 1992 and 2017), two films 40 years apart (1974 and 2017), three television programs including a Japanese version in 2015, and one lone play which premiered in 2017. I find that 32-year gap between the novel and the first radio play so intriguing. Why didn’t anyone take a crack at it for all of those years? And more intriguing: why has there never been a stage adaptation before now? Well, a story with 13 characters, set in a restaurant in Istanbul, on a train platform, in three different sleeping compartments, an observation deck, a corridor and a dining car on the stunning Orient Express may have been daunting to some…but not Ken Ludwig. Agatha Christie wrote fabulous roles, and Ludwig’s version exploits, expands and delights in those wonderful renderings. He has remained true to the original when it comes to portraying these delightfully complex, dramatic and quirky individuals. Creating a dynamic world for this play was challenging in the very best of ways. We hope you’ll enjoy the ride!