THE BASICS: MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS, a play with the book by Agatha Christie, adapted for the stage by Ken Ludwig, presented by All For One Theatre Productions, had its opening delayed to March 23 and only runs through April 2, Thursday and Friday at 7:30, Saturday at 3 and 8, Sunday at 2:00 at Shea’s 710 Theatre, 710 Main Street, corner Tupper.
www.sheas.org/710-theatre | 716 847-1410
RUNTIME: Two Hours 15 minutes
THUMBNAIL SKETCH: In this, perhaps the most famous murder mystery by Agatha Christie, a snowdrift stops a train in its tracks at midnight. No one can get on or off. The next morning, an American gangster named “Ratchett” lies dead in his compartment, stabbed multiple times, sometimes from the left, sometimes from the right, all while his door was locked from the inside.
The show stars Anthony Alcocer (as both Col. Arbuthnot and Ratchett), Robyn Baun (as Greta Ohlsson), Christian Brandjes (as the Belgian Detective Hercule Poirot), Lissette DeJesus (as Countess Andrenyi), Augustus Donaldson (as Hector MacQueen), Gregory Gjurich (as Trainmaster Monsieur Bouc), Lisa Ludwig (as the annoying American Mrs. Hubbard), Gabriella Jean McKinley (as Mary Debenham), Annette Daniels Taylor (as the imperious Princess Dragomiroff), and Ben Michael Moran (as both the officious Headwaiter and Michel the conductor of the train).
THE PLAYERS, THE PLAY, AND THE PRODUCTION: Right away, as I took my seat and marveled at the detailed Art Deco set by Lynn Koscielniak, assisted by Nicholas Taboni’s projections, I saw that an “A-Team” was at work here. And with wonderful memories of playwright Ken Ludwig’s BASKERVILLE: A SHERLOCK HOLMES MYSTERY in the same theater several years ago, as well as my great respect for the director, Kyle Loconti, working with a cast of favorite Buffalo actors, I knew that this was going to be good.
Gabriella Jean McKinley, Anthony Aloccer | Photo by Nancy J Parisi
“All For One” (sometimes written as All4One) Productions is a consortium of five local theaters, including the Irish Classical Theatre Company, Road Less Traveled Productions, Theatre of Youth, MusicalFare Theatre, and Shea’s Performing Arts Center. That’s a huge pool of talent to draw from. That’s not a guarantee of success, as the rather confused “designed by committee” THREE MUSKETEERS proved several years ago. But in this case, the plan worked as it was intended to. Oh yes, it worked its magic.
I was going to describe this as a “Locked Room Mystery” where it appears impossible for the murderer to enter and exit the location of the murder. But, Gigi Pandian, writing in Ellery Queen magazine, informs us that this is actually called a “Closed Circle Mystery” wherein “A small number of people are isolated when a crime occurs in their midst. There’s no way for them to leave or be rescued, so there’s an oppressive feeling because the characters know that someone in their midst is a killer.” And, actually, here you get both the locked room and the closed circle.
With a book by Agatha Christie and a detective as beloved as Hercule Poirot (who still appears weekly Thursday nights at 8:00 pm on WNED PBS) playwright Ken Ludwig didn’t have to go far for excellent source material. Of course, all the essentials of a good mystery are there, including a fascinating locale (the exotic and luxurious “Orient Express” train), strong “foreshadowing” (giving us a lot of facts to let us draw our own ideas), a strong “hook” (what’s better than a gangster stabbed multiple times), lots of “red herrings” (leads that look like the solution but don’t pan out), a quirky yet engaging detective, and ultimately, a solution that is satisfying.
Well, sort of. While the mystery of the crime here is “solved,” there’s still something important to debate, or at least talk about, after the show. To quote Forrest Gump: “That’s all I’ll say about that.”
I do want to single out Sound Designer Kate Menke who consistently delivers the most intriguing and impactful music and SFX. She often uses classical music and for me, as an on-air radio host at WNED Classical, I am always surprised, amazed, and delighted by her choices.
I mentioned the beautifully detailed set by Lynn Koscielniak, assisted by Nicholas Taboni’s projections, which are almost a character in themselves. Set on a revolving stage, they continue, as the play progresses to reveal more and more, just as the plot does the same. And that’s also a “trick of lighting” by Brian Cavanagh. The period costumes by Lise Harty with Wign and Hair by Susan Drozd add a touch of elegance to the scenes, while Prop Masters Diane Almeter Jones and Amber Greer, with stage management by Susan Stimson assisted by Alexia R. Guzmán, were working hard.
In general, I am not a fan of Buffalo actors using foreign accents. I think it’s enough to know that we’re in London, France, or wherever and simply move on without giving the actors the added burden of using an accent. I understand that because the plot called for a large “international” assemblage of travelers on the train, it was considered helpful to have the Russian sound Russian and the American sound American. And the team brought in Dialect Coach Jenn Toohey (who also works at Shawfest) certainly one of the best coaches working today. But, in general, the result was a “meh” for me.
However, Kudos to Great Gjurich as the French Trainmaster “Monsieur Bouc” whose accent, layered as thick as Pâté de Foie Gras, as well as his flamboyant manner, brought down the house on several occasions. (If you recall the French waiter “Maurice” on the old “A Prairie Home Companion” radio show sketches, you get the idea.) Gjurich really makes the show sparkle.
And, I watch a lot of PBS detective shows set in Scotland, part of my heritage is Scottish, and I found Anthony Alcocer’s Scottish accent as Colonel Arbuthnot to be spot on.
In conclusion, it’s a great story, presented by some of our best local theater people, in a jewel of a venue.
Lead image: Christian Brandjes, Annette Daniels Taylor, Robyn Baun
*HERD OF BUFFALO (Notes on the Rating System)
ONE BUFFALO: This means trouble. A dreadful play, a highly flawed production, or both. Unless there is some really compelling reason for you to attend (i.e. you are the parent of someone who is in it), give this show a wide berth.
TWO BUFFALOS: Passable, but no great shakes. Either the production is pretty far off base, or the play itself is problematic. Unless you are the sort of person who’s happy just going to the theater, you might look around for something else.
THREE BUFFALOS: I still have my issues, but this is a pretty darn good night at the theater. If you don’t go in with huge expectations, you will probably be pleased.
FOUR BUFFALOS: Both the production and the play are of high caliber. If the genre/content are up your alley, I would make a real effort to attend.
FIVE BUFFALOS: Truly superb–a rare rating. Comedies that leave you weak with laughter, dramas that really touch the heart. Provided that this is the kind of show you like, you’d be a fool to miss it!
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