Roy Berko
Agatha Christie’s MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS gets a wonderful staging at GLT. It challenges the imagination, it delights, it makes for a special evening of theatre. Yes, if you want a couple of hours out of the time we are all spending in this stressful world, this is an absolute GO SEE!
To see a full review of this show, read Roy Berko's blog here.
Howard Gollop
After two major film versions and TV versions of Agatha Christie's iconic mystery novel "Murder on the Orient Express," it might be hard to propel Ken ("Lend Me a Tenor") Ludwig the 2017 stage version on the basis of its actual mystery. Instead, the Great Lakes Theater's production propels "Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express" with a train. Under the embracing direction of Charles Fee, the cast members deliver all the European color, flare and mystery of their potentially duplicitous characters, but nothing gets this production moving like the stage crew, dressed as conductors, who literally push the whodunnit drama forward on its tracks. The audience eagerly hops aboard.
To see a full review of this show, read Howard Gollop's review here.
Sheri Gross
All aboard the luxurious Orient Express for a fabulous, fast-paced farce full of murder, mystery, and mayhem, with a talented cast that will keep you guessing from curtain up to curtain call.
Mark Horning
Even those who are familiar with the movie version (and thus the “surprise ending”) will still fall in love with the characters and the way the plot and characters are developed. It is an evening of superb theater that is guaranteed to sell out with each performance. Get your tickets NOW! It’s everything that is great about theater.
To see a full review of this show, read Mark Horning's Review here.
Chris Howey
"Of course, the ending is what makes this play so enduring, as it tosses the concepts of punishment and justice into a cocked (and oh-so-decorous) hat. After all the splendid speeches and visual delights, it will leave you to mull the appropriateness of the outcome yourself. And that's a tasty ending to a luscious theatrical package."
To see a full review of this show, read Chris Howey's Review here.
Laura Kennelly
A shotgun wedding — an Agatha Christie thriller combined with playwright Ken Ludwig’s sense of the ridiculous — makes for a mystery-packed comedy production of Murder on the Orient Express at Great Lakes Theater.
While it may sound lovely to ride on an elegantly decorated express train from Istanbul to Paris, our story makes it obvious it is a mistake to ride anywhere with mystery writer Christie’s Detective Hercule Poirot. Trouble is bound to follow, at least in this well-paced play directed by Charles Fee.
To see a full review of this show, go here or read Laura's posts at Cool Cleveland.
Dr. Yuko Kurahashi
Ken Ludwig’s adaptation/dramatization makes the story simpler, more hilarious, and entertaining for the American audience. According to the program note, Ludwig reduced the number of suspects from 12 to 8, making it possible for the audience to follow the characters and their relationships with the murder of Daisy. This murder case, which ties all the eight passengers together, reminds the audience of the kidnapping of Charles Augustus Lindbergh Jr. in 1932. Ludwig’s script ominously foretells the approaching Hitler’s invasion of the territories that the Orient Express traverses. And that unsettling atmosphere is implied—so I felt—by the sound effects similar to bombings in the last scene.
To see a full review of this show, read Yuko's posts here.
Joey Morona
The official description calls “Alter” a workplace dramedy, but the playwright sees it as more of a dark comedy with thriller and horror elements.
To see a full review of this show, read Joey's posts here.
