High quality version of a Christie classic

REVIEW: 'Death on the Nile' at New Theatre, Cardiff

A new production of an Agatha Christie classic has arrived in Cardiff, offering the chance to leave chilly South Wales for a luxurious cruise under the Egyptian sun.

Death on the Nile opened to a packed house at the New Theatre last night (Tuesday 25 November), and the audience was not disappointed.

This is another high quality Christie adaptation from the team that gave us Murder on the Orient Express earlier this year.

Writer Ken Ludwig has again made some changes to the story and characters to help make this large-scale narrative work on a confined stage.

You may recall the popular film versions, starring Peter Ustinov in 1978 and Kenneth Branagh in 2022, were spectacular, big budget, star-studded affairs, and the more faithful 2004 TV adaptation with David Suchet also pushed the boat out financially.

Thanks to ingenious design by Mike Britton, we also get to experience the grandeur of S.S. Karnak as it passes the famous tourist sites.

If you're not familiar with the story, it features a group of mainly British holiday-makers (including Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, played by Mark Hadfield) on a Nile cruise.

In this version, for some reason, the trip is about returning an ancient sarcophagus from the British Museum - although this storyline seems to be largely forgotten in the second act.

That's not least because there's something even more significant happening - a murder, of course. And our detective hero must act quickly to identify the killer.

Hadfield makes an endearing Poirot, rather than the pompous figure we sometimes see. And he is helped by an excellent supporting cast, led by Glynis Barber as the glamorous would-be actress Salome Otterbourne and Bob Barrett as Poirot's old pal, the formidable Colonel Johnnie Race, who's investigating a case of his own.

The whole cast deserves an honourable mention - Camilla Anvar, Libby Alexandra-Cooper, Howard Gossington, Esme Hough, Helen Katamba, Nye Occomore, Nicholas Prasad, and Terrence Wilton, with David Boyle, Max Dinnen, and Nadia Shash as the ensemble.

This is an excellent version of a Christie favourite, from a team which knows how to do these things very well indeed.

Director, Lucy Bailey, ensures there's never a dull moment, and writer Ken Ludwig adds some knowing comedy, especially for Poirot and Race.

Poirot maintains that "your Shakespeare" was a good writer, "but he was no Agatha Christie"! While Race points out that wherever Poirot goes people get murdered!

If you were lucky enough to see Murder on the Orient Express, you can expect a similar experience from this - a gripping story, brilliantly presented by a talented cast in a beautifully designed set.

This is a very high quality production, which will appeal to fans of murder mysteries or anyone who enjoys a good night at the theatre.

Death on the Nile continues at the New Theatre until Saturday (29 November). You can book tickets here or from the box office on 0343 310 0041.

Review by Andy Weltch

We received free tickets for this performance in exchange for an honest review