Displaying items by tag: Ken Ludwig
Drury Lane’s ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ Delivers A Fine Whodunit the Leaves Us Guessing to the End
Ken Ludwig has adapted the beloved Agath Christie whodunit 'Murder on the Orient Express' in a rich and wonderful way. The play revolves around the murder of a wealthy businessman aboard a luxurious train. Detective Hurcule Poirot is on the case and there is no shortage of suspects aboard the Orient Express.
I know a murder mystery by Christie is done really well when I can not remember how it ends even though I may have seen the play countless times, and that is exactly how Drury Lane's production had me - on the edge of my seat desperately trying to guess who the murderer was the entire time!
Going in, I had concerns about how the train and its movement would be represented, but all were dismissed the minute Andrew Boyce’s scenic design was revealed in a series of spectacularly luxurious and well lit projections by Anthony Churchill in train compartments that started revolving on the stage. The audience gasped and applauded for each one and the projections of snow and other movement in the windows of the train was really a fun and exciting way to recreate the movement and style of the sumptuous Orient Express for a live audience.
This was a true ensemble cast with solid performances all around.
Of course Larry Yando (Poirot), a mainstay of Chicago theater, was the heartbeat of this classic production and the audience hung on his every word. Yando's parting speech wherein he ponders the philosophical correctness of his part in solving the mystery was Tony worthy, and though brief, really ended the play on a genuine note of sympathy with all of the depth and emotional honesty one would expect from such an accomplished actor.
Janet Ulrich Brooks as Helen Hubbard was pure delight in this show as she plays a brassy American with such great physical comedy and impeccable comedic timing that every scene she appears in draws laughs and comparisons to great comedians like Lucille Ball and Phyllis Diller.
I also thought Sean Blake as the young lover with a thick scottish brogue was very funny and got laughs out of lines that otherwise would have been throwaways to a less talented actor.
Yes, there was a bit of a slow start in getting the action and dialogue moving but I think the actors were trying to wring every bit of humor out of each moment onstage and the whole flow of the show got going at a nice pace once the opening night jitters were quelled by the enthusiastic audience response.
I can highly recommend this exciting and suspenseful production to audiences of all ages to enjoy a real night at the theater with beautiful costumes, ingenius stage settings and the ensemble of mature and very gifted actors all giving their best performances at the lovely Drury Lane Theater.
‘Murder on the Orient Express’ is being performed at Drury Lane Theater in Oakbrook through October 23rd. For tickets and/or more show information, click here.
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Outrage Made Manifest in “Bust: An Afrocurrentist Play”
Written by Wesley DavidSomething extraordinary happens on a street in Huntsville, Alabama. Mr. Woods (Keith Randolph Smith), a hard-working Black man in the community, is involved in a traffic stop with two cops (Mark Bedard and Jorge Luna) - a scene witnessed far… -
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Written by Buzz Center StageThe Den Theatre today announced upcoming June 2025 shows at the theatre's Wicker Park stages at 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., including "Anatomy of Murder" Podcast on June 4; Beth Stelling on June 6–7; IMHO: The Show on June 8; Gabby Bryan on June 12; Grace Helbig: "Let Me Get This… -
Full Casting Announced for Hell in a Handbag's QUEEN FOR A DAY - July 9 – August 3, 2025 at Bramble Arts Loft - World Premiere!
Written by Buzz Center StageHell in a Handbag Productions is pleased to conclude its 2024/25 Season with the world premiere of QUEEN FOR A DAY written by ensemble member Tyler Anthony Smith* and directed by Stephanie Shaw. This gay fantasia on national themes... wait, wrong play. This one-act comedy/drama/cry for help…
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Redtwist Theatre's GARY: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus: Who mops up after the royals' butchery?
Written by Sarz MaxwellI reviewed TITUS ANDRONICUS in mid-February, so I was eager to see the sequel! In TITUS, Shakespeare tells the story from the viewpoint of the regnant major characters: Empress Tamora and her sons Chiron, Demetrius and Bassianus; Lucius and the…
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