The Murder on the Links
Review by Ernest Goes To The Theatre/Ernest Edwards
The Murder on the Links is the third Agatha Christie mystery that I have seen at Theatre in the Round. I have to say Agatha Christie and Theatre in the Round are a very nice combination. They mix very well together.
This play is a new adaptation by Kate Danley. What I liked about this script is that Captain Arthur Hastings (played by Jake Leif) narrates moments of the story. I also liked Ben Tallen as Hercule Poirot. His Poirot was sauve, kind and intelligent.
What I really liked about this production, in addition to the cast, was that about 5 minutes before the play begins the cast began to appear on stage and mingle with each other. We got to see the Gardner tending to the flower beds, folks enjoying a beverage, taking the baby stroller out to enjoy the afternoon sun. It was a great way to get us into the world of the play. I also liked how for this play that Theatre in the Round used every performance space.
Director Linda Paulson had a great cast to work with in brining this mystery play to life. Along with Set Designer Madeline Achen and costumes by Colleen O’Dell and Hunter Goldsmith. The play takes place in early Spring 1920.
The story begins with Poirot, now retired, being asked to take on a case. A man feels like his life is in danger. So Poirot and Hastings head for France with haste. By the time they get to the town, the gentlemen is already dead! Who killed him and why? This case has a sense of Deja Vu for Poirot. There’s also a French detective who has the lead in this case. Every time Poirot finds an important clue, this detective writes if off and says that is not what we’re looking for. Those clues do help Poirot to figure out the story and find out who really did commit the murder and why. The French Detective even goes so far as to arrest the wrong person, in this story everyone is a suspect. This moment allows Poirot to root out who really did it. As with Agatha Christie stories, all is revealed in the end.
To find out who did it and why, check out www.theatreintheround.org for tickets. Play runs through December 21, 2025.
