Death on the Nile at Theatre Royal Plymouth Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Helen Wyatt
Last night I went with a friend to see the stage adaptation of Agatha Christie’s much loved murder mystery, Death on the Nile, at the Plymouth Theatre Royal, adapted by Ken Ludwig and directed by Lucy Bailey. The first thing to say is that I have never read an Agatha Christie book nor watched any of the film adaptations, and my friend on the other hand is a die-hard Agatha Christie fan, particularly of Death on the Nile, so we both went to the show with very different expectations. I won’t say much about the storyline as that could give spoilers for those who do not know the story, but what I can say is that Death on the Nile is set on a luxurious cruise liner, travelling down the Nile in 1937, when a couple’s honeymoon is brought to an abrupt halt by murder. It is then down to Poirot to solve the clues and find out who did the dastardly deed.
Plymouth Theatre Royal is a lovely light modern building that proudly showcases the arts, and their website indicates they are the largest and best-attended regional producing theatre in the UK. Parking is easy, just next door in a large multi-story car park, and if you wanted to eat before the show there are plenty of eateries nearby, or you can grab a bite in the foyer café. There are plenty of bars in the building so you can grab a drink or a snack in the interval too. Bag check at the door was unobtrusive, and then it was just a matter of finding our seats. The auditorium itself is large and the seats quickly filled up for opening night of Death on the Nile, which excitingly was the European premiere of the production.
The set was actually very simple, which made the use of the elements within it very effective. The use of dark, light and shadows added to the atmosphere, and otherwise there were very few actual props besides a Sarcophagus, and some tables and chairs. The stage had two levels, and this made depicting the cruise liner very effective, and due to the minimal props this meant seamless changes between scenes, taking the audience around different areas of the ship. The costumes were absolute perfection and very authentic to the time period, helping to transport you back in time.
Mark Hadfield starred as Poirot, and he did a fine job of capturing the unique stylings of everyone’s favourite detective. His Belgium accent slipped occasionally, but generally you could believe you were watching the inimitable Poirot solve the crime. My friend, who loves Poirot, was unsure about some occasional things that the character did, such as little dance moves and putting evidence in his pocket, saying that these are not things Poirot would have done, but otherwise it was a great portrayal.
I particularly enjoyed the performances of Esme Hough as Jacqueline De Bellefort, and Libby Alexandrea-Cooper as Linnet Ridgeway, both very convincingly portraying their parts as the female leads in the show. That said, all of the cast were excellent and we thoroughly enjoyed the full production from beginning to end. It was humorous and you could not work out “whodunnit” until the very end, so it was a pleasure to see Poirot lay out all the evidence to the gathered guests, and recreate the events of the journey to prove exactly who did what. My friend felt that some artistic licence had been taken with elements of the story which were no longer present in the show, but she commented that it didn’t stop her enjoying the performance.
All in all, it was an excellent evening which whizzed by in the blink of an eye. This show would be suitable for all theatre lovers, regardless of whether you know and love Agatha Christie or Poirot, there is something for everyone.
Rating: 5/5
Tickets cost from £29
Death on the Nile is at Plymouth Theatre Royal from 19-23/5/2. For more information or to book tickets visit https://theatreroyal.com/whats-on/death-on-the-nile/#book or email the box office on boxoffice@theatreroyal.com
Plymouth Theatre Royal, Royal Parade, Plymouth PL1 2TR