PRE-AUDITION WORKSHOP: February 2

AUDITIONS: February 3-4

CALLBACKS: February 5

REHEARSALS: February 9 – March 19

PERFORMANCES: March 20 – April 6

DIRECTOR: Ray Ficca

ABOUT THE SHOW: In 1934, the famed Orient Express is hurtling from Istanbul through wintry western Europe, with iconic detective Hercule Poirot among the passengers. The train becomes stuck in a snowdrift in Yugoslavia, and morning reveals an even more chilling discovery: an American tycoon found stabbed to death in his locked compartment. Over two terrifying days, Poirot investigates the eight suspects for this shocking crime, following the tracks of blackmail and revenge to the tragedy of a murdered child. All aboard for this classic murder mystery!

ROLES AVAILABLE

There are 10 roles (five men, five women).

• Hercule Poirot: Male, 50s-60s. The Inspector. Passport from Belgium. Occupation: Detective. Meticulous and exacting, Poirot is a keen observer of detail and an astute judge of character. Certain that the crime was committed by someone on the train, he confidently and patiently works his way to a shocking solution.
• Samuel Ratchett/Colonel Arbuthnot: Male, mid-30s. A double role.
  • Samuel Ratchett: Also Bruno Cassetti, the victim. Passport from the United States. A brusque businessman. Unforgiving, with a threatening demeanor and a whiplash of a voice. He’s made plenty of enemies… almost everyone has wished him dead.
  • Colonel Arbuthnot: Passport from Scotland. Occupation: Colonel. Handsome and very matterof-fact. He’s hopelessly in love with Mary. Would he kill for her?

THE SUSPECTS

• Countess Eléna Andrenyi: Female, late 20s-30s. Passport from Hungary. Occupation: Royalty. She is out of a fairytale, brilliantly beautiful and always dressed to the nines in furs and diamonds. She seems too good to be true – but is she a murderer?
• Monsieur Bouc: Male, 40-50. Passport from Belgium. Occupation: Gentleman. A man of good humor, he is an old friend of Poirot’s. He appears removed from the crime, often acting as Poirot’s sounding board, but no one on the train is above suspicion.
• Mary Debenham: Female, late 20s. Passport from England. Occupation: Governess. An English beauty, she bears a certain sadness in her eyes. When she first appears, she is very anxious. Perhaps she is harboring a terrible secret.
• Princess Natalya Dragomiroff: Female, 60s-70s. Passport from Russia. Occupation: Royalty. She enters her compartment “like a galleon in full sail.” Expensively dressed and handsomely bejeweled, she certainly wouldn’t need to kill for money. But might she have another motive?
• Michel/Head Waiter: Male, 40s-50. A double role.
  • Michel: Passport from France. Occupation: Train conductor. Good-looking and with a quiet, almost grave sense of humor. He’s seen a lot in his years on the Orient Express, and he knows his way around the train, making him particularly well-positioned to get away with murder.
  • Head Waiter: Occupation: Head waiter on the Orient Express. Professional in demeanor, he is knowledgeable and a bit overconfident. Mystery fans know it’s a cliché, but never rule out the possibility that The Butler Did It.
• Helen Hubbard: Female, 50s. Passport from the United States. Occupation: Widow. Outspoken and well-dressed with a touch of flamboyance, she’s a tough-talking broad with rough edges and a bold sense of humor. She seems the least likely to commit murder, but is there something about her that the others don’t know?
• Hector MacQueen: Male, 30s. Passport from the United States. Occupation: Personal secretary and translator. Nervous, with a strained, rather beleaguered face, he appears to be suppressing something. Perhaps he knows more than he is willing to tell.
• Greta Ohlsson: Female, 30s-50s. Passport from Sweden. Occupation: Nurse and missionary. Plain and modest, she has a frightened, sheep-like quality about her. There is something odd about this woman. Could she be harboring a deadly secret?

FULL DETAILS IN THE CUE SHEET!

MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS CUE SHEET