Review #2 of 2: Murder on the Orient Express by Zach Theater
by Brian Paul Scipione

 

Zach Theater’s Midnight on the Orient Express is on track to be a runaway smash and it’s not losing any steam.

 

Okay, now that that’s out of the way, let’s begin. This is an exceptional production on multiple levels, beginning with the phenomenal set, costume design, and coordination. Not only have these teams managed to capture the time and place in exquisite detail, they’ve also managed to create the perfect mood of exotic intrigue that grants the audience a wholly immersive experience. The often elusive suspension of disbelief has never been so easily attainable in a theatre of this size (with the possible exception of Zach’s 2017 production of Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill). Some may argue that the rotating of the interior and exterior giant train was too much of spectacle to ignore, but it actually reminds one of the fading in and out between scenes of older movies and TV shows.

 

 

This Agatha Cristie classic  was published in the UK and the US in 1934. It was famously inspired by the horrible kidnapping and murder of Charles Lindbergh's son in 1932 and contains many elements directly related to those actual events. Christie also drew upon her own previous journey on the Orient Express and a famous blizzard in 1929 that did, in fact, force the train to remain in place for six days. The true conditions of that blizzard are necessarily left out of the play; he passengers were huddling together in their unheated compartments in freezing temperatures, not engaging in witty repartee or enjoying cocktails. The novel was very well received.  Many reviewers mentioned Cristie’s ability to make the improbable seem entirely probable.  Her storywent on to have multiple adaptations in multiple languages on radio, TV, film, the stage, in comic books, and board games.

 

American playwright Ken Ludwig’s theatrical adaption debuted at the McCarter Theatre in Princeton, New Jersey in March 2017. That production was the first to use the much-beloved rotating train set design. The 2024 Asolo Repertory Theatre production in San Diego stuck to this winning formula. It’s no surprise that Zach Theater followed suit, but they didn’t pull punches anywhere else for that matter. Jenny Lavery’s direction creates a cohesive and compelling production despite the magnitude of moving parts (both literal and metaphorical) of this production.

 

Lavery assembled a great cast, combining a number of beloved Austin performers such as Babs George and Abigal Storm and a handful of actors making Zach debuts. Principal among them is Steve Pounders who portrays his Hercule Poirot with crisp enunciation, great timing, and a melancholic broodiness he manages to project throughout the large Topfer Theater. His deftly understated performance is very welcome. Charlene Hong White as Mary Debenham is making her debut and reprising a role she previously played at Virginia Repertory Theatre. She has neatly captured the sly but cool machinations of her character. Damien Boykin as Hector MacQueen is equally compelling though with a markedly less composed interpretation of his character. Sarita Ocón as Countess Elena Adrenyi is charming and disarming while easily commanding attention.

 

Finally, Olivia D. Dawson as Helen Hubbard quickly makes herself the audience favorite. That's partly due to the meatiness of the role but due even more to her impressive ability to chew everything but the scenery. As the stereotypical over-the-top obnoxious American tourist, Dawson is a pure delight. She's an almost overly indulgent slice of comic relief in the existential noir that surrounds her. She fully realizes the character with attention to every detail, from her boisterous singing to the distinctive heavy footfall of the American boldly bolstering into a foreign environment. This is superb stage acting. Her performance would be just as compelling if she were on an empty stage.

 

Zach’s production walks the fine line between spectacle and storytelling, and it's so engrossing that I forgot that I knew how the story ends until the last twenty minutes of the second act. It may seem ironic to call a play cinematic, but there really is no escaping the comparison. If ever there was a production to win over movie lovers and perhaps a few of the screen-addicted members of the upcoming generations, this one would be it.

 

 

EXTRA

Creating the Orient Express

 

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Murder on the Orient Express
by Agatha Christie
Zach Theatre

January 21–March 1, 2026

The Topfer at Zach | 202 S Lamar Blvd. | Austin, TX | 78704
Tickets  start at $28 and are available at Zach’s box office – 512-476-0541 x1, zachtheater.org.

Special events in celebration of Murder on the Orient Express:

• Pay What You Wish Week – Wednesday, January 21 through Sunday, January 25, 2026
• Pride Night – Thursday, January 22, 2026 at 7:30pm
• Zachademia Night – Wednesday, January 28, 2026 at 7:30pm
• Champagne Opening – Thursday, January 29, 2026 at 7:30pm
• ASL Performance – Saturday, February 7, 2026 at 2:30pm

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