Starring Michael Maloney as the celebrated Belgian sleuth, Hercule Poirot, Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express comes to His Majesty’s Theatre in Aberdeen from February 11-15.
Joining Michael Maloney in the cast will be Bob Barrett as Monsieur Bouc, Mila Carter as Countess Elena Andreyni, Rebecca Charles as Greta Ohlsonn, Debbie Chazen as Princess Dragomiroff, Simon Cotton as Samuel Ratchett, Jean-Baptiste Fillon as Michel, Christine Kavanagh as Helen Hubbard, Paul Keating as Hector MacQueen, Iniki Mariano as Mary Debenham, Rishi Rian as The Colonel and Alex Stedman as Head Waiter. Also in the cast are Jasmine Raymond and Beth Tuckey.
Aberdeen Performing Arts Director of Programming and Creative Projects, Ben Torrie, said: “The stage production of this genre-defining Agatha Christie classic perfectly captures the suspense and intrigue of the original story with an excellent cast and clever staging all playing a part in its enduring popularity. A perfect choice amateur sleuths and mystery fans alike!”
The famous play will be the perfect precursor to Aberdeen Performing Arts crime writing festival, Granite Noir, which runs from February 20-23 in various locations across the city.
Winter 1934 and an avalanche stops the Orient Express dead in its tracks. An American tycoon lies dead in his compartment, stabbed eight times, his door locked from the inside. Trapped in the snow with a killer still on board, can the world’s most famous detective, Hercule Poirot, crack the case before the train reaches its final destination? Murder on the Orient Express is one of Agatha Christie’s greatest literary achievements, with a final twist that is amongst her very best. Gripping, tense and masterfully cryptic, this brand-new production is a deliciously thrilling ride and an ingenious murder mystery, guaranteed to keep you guessing until the end of the line.
Michael Maloney’s extensive film and television work includes Belfast, Iron Lady, Young Victoria, Notes on a Scandal, Branagh's Hamlet, Zefferelli's Hamlet, Truly Madly Deep, Magpie Murder, The Trial of Christine Keeler, The Five, River, The White Queen, Bonekickers, Empire, The Jury and Love on a Branch Line. On the stage, his many roles for the RSC include Edgar, Romeo and Prince Hal.
Bob Barrett is best known as Sacha Levy in the long-running Holby City, a role he played from 2010 to 2022. On film, he played George Bryan in John Madden’s Shakespeare in Love. On stage, he most recently appeared in the UK Tour of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, also directed by Lucy Bailey.
Mila Carter recently graduated from RADA. Her first professional appearance was in Curious Directive’s Black Sheep earlier this year.
Debbie Chazen’s more recent TV and film appearances include Sister Boniface Mysteries, Dalgliesh, Sable in The Last Kingdom, Red Joan, Agatha Raisin and Sherlock. On stage, her recent work includes Jews in Their Own Words (Royal Court), Our Generation (National Theatre/Chichester Festival Theatre), Romeo and Juliet (The Globe) and as Ruth in the original cast of The Girls, the Gary Barlow/Tim Firth musical (Leeds Grand, The Lowry Salford and the Phoenix Theatre, London).
Simon Cotton’s television credits include Hanna, Outlander and Murder Maps. Films include The Unseen and Ronnie Kray in The Rise of the Krays and The Fall of the Krays. On stage, he played Brodsky in A Clockwork Orange at Park Theatre and Ray Court in The Bodyguard on tour. Jean-Baptiste Fillon’s screen credits include Masters of the Air, Mister Mayfair, Mission Impossible – Fallout, Poldark, Survivor and Viktor.
Christine Kavanagh’s screen credits include A Room with a View, Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking, In His Life: The John Lennon Story, Seaforth, All in the Game, The Blackheath Poisonings, Chimera and A Very British Coup. Her recent theatre credits include the tour of An Inspector Calls, Ivo van Hove’s Hedda Gabbler at the National Theatre, Man and Superman at the National Theatre, Gwendolyn in Lucy Bailey’s production of The Importance of Being Earnest, Nora in A Doll’s House at the Belfast Lyric Theatre and Trevor Nunn’s production of Albert Speer at the National Theatre.
Paul Keating first came to attention when he won the title role in the West End premiere of The Who’s Tommy while still working on a supermarket check-out. He went on to appear on the London stage in the Pet Shop Boys musical Closer to Heaven, The Full Monty musical, Don Carlos directed by Michael Grandage, Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors, Buttons in the Old Vic’s Cinderella and Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz. Television includes James in EastEnders and Dean in Metrosexuality.
Iniki Mariano’s recent stage work includes George at the Criterion Theatre, The Garden of Words at Park Theatre, Can't Wait for Christmas! at the Orange Tree Theatre, the revival of Sally Cookson's National Theatre/Bristol Old Vic production of Peter Pan and as Mowgli in The Jungle Book at Derby Theatre.
Rishi Rian will be appearing in the second series of ITV’s Ridley, due to air later this year. He also appeared in the film Damaged, starring Samuel L. Jackson, that was released this
spring. Rishi trained at the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
Tickets are on sale now, available from www.aberdeenperformingarts.com) 641122 or visit the box office at His Majesty’s Theatre or the Music Hall.