If you have read Agatha Christie’s books, you know that in them there’s always a crime, several possible culprits, and a shrewd detective that is bound to solve it all. Such is the case in MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS, which is now performing at La Mirada Theatre through Nov. 11, adapted by Ken Ludwig and directed by Sheldon Epps.

In this tale, a man is murdered in 1934 on a trip from Istanbul to Western Europe on the Orient Express train. There are eight people aboard aside from Hercule Poirot, the detective (played by Tony Amendola), and although each has an alibi, they all look equally suspicious. After spending a night in the mountains stopped by a snowdrift, Poirot puts all the clues together to pinpoint the killer.

At La Mirada Theatre, the mood is set as the curtain opens and a young girl (played by Hope Noel Bradley) goes, in a minute, from a sweet smile to a piercing scream. As the story develops, your eyes are treated to various takes of the Orient Express – first from the outside, then on the inside. It is an absolutely gorgeous stage (the highlight really of this production, in my opinion) designed by Stephen Gifford, enhanced by lighting by Jared A. Sayeg and sound by Josh Bessom.

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Back Row: Julia Aks, Christine Dunford and Anne Gee Byrd & Front Row: Tony Amendola, Zarah Mahler, Rachel Seiferth, Matthew Floyd Miller star in “AGATHA CHRISTIE’S MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS”

 

Coming and going through the train cars, the actors tell you a delightful story that is funny, attention-grabbing, with an ending that (if you have not read it) will surprise and amuse you. Either way, you may have read the book or seen the movie, but you have not seen this play, since Ludwig adapted it recently (2017) at the request of the Agatha Christie Estate.

Tickets for MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS range from $20 to $84 and can be purchased at La Mirada Theatre’s website or by calling the Box Office at (562) 944-9801 or (714) 994-6310. $15 student tickets are available for the first 15 performances of the production.

LA MIRADA THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS is located at 14900 La Mirada Boulevard in La Mirada, near the intersection of Rosecrans Avenue where the 91 and 5 freeways meet. Parking is free.

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