Agatha Christie Archives - James Hutchison

Peril in the Alps at Vertigo Theatre – Interview with Director Clare Preuss

Posted on November 12, 2025February 25, 2026 by James Hutchison

Production Still Peril in the Alps at Vertigo Theatre — Austin Halarewich, Graham Percy, Photo by Fifth Wall Media

Kidnapping, blackmail, and murder are all being served up in the Vertigo Theatre production of Peril in the Alps by Steven Dietz.

Bella Duveen has vanished, and Arthur Hastings can think of no one better to find his sister-in-law than his good friend Hercule Poirot – a master sleuth who has saved Bella once before. Coincidentally, Poirot has just taken on a missing persons case that seems eerily similar – are they connected? And how are these disappearances intertwined with past mysteries that have already been solved? With the suspicion of a greater scheme at play, Poirot must travel to the snow-capped Alps, where the famed Belgian detective may finally meet his match. Six actors bring to life dozens of eccentric characters and clever suspects in this diabolically funny mystery romp.

The only question is – are you able to match wits with our famous Belgium detective and solve the mystery before he does? To find out catch Peril in the Alps from November 15^th to December 14^th and get your tickets from the Vertigo Theatre Box Office by phone at 403.221.3708 or online at vertigotheatre.com.

I contacted the director of the play Clare Preuss, who was in the middle of rehearsals, in order to talk with her about the enduring appeal of Poirot and the magic of theatre.

Clare Preuss Director of the Vertigo Theatre production of Peril in Paris

JAMES HUTCHISON

So, lets talk a little bit about the cast. You’ve got Graham Percy playing Hercule Poirot and Austin Halarewich playing Hastings. Rounding out the cast you’ve got Tyrell Crews, Linda Kee, Heidi Damayo and Aiden Laudersmith all of who are playing multiple roles in the production. So, tell me about the cast you’ve assembled for this production and what sort of an ensemble you’ve put together.

CLARE PREUSS

They’re just fantastic. And to fully manifest a show like this the actors have to be virtuosic. There’s a level of skill that is needed. The ability to drop into characters really quickly and the ability to play a character with authentic intentions and with authentic tactics and then to also play something that’s arched because there’s an arched element to the show. So, I think being able to find folks who have that dexterity is really incredible.

And then for me I always want to hire people and work with people that are generous. That are willing to take risks. And all of them are. And they’re all so funny. I mean there are so many moments that they’ve come up with in the room where they just play off each other and they’re willing to be vulnerable. And that’s really important. They’re an incredible cast and every single one of them has shining moments in this story.

And then Austin and Graham really have to carry the show, and they have to play friends that have known each other for many years and it’s incredible what they’ve come up with.

And if anyone knows Graham Percy’s vast experience in the community and the roles, he’s played watching his Poirot is something stunning. He’s got this balance. You just believe he’s that smart. That he puts together the clues the way Poirot does. And then you also feel this heart.

I said to him the other day in rehearsal, “Your Poirot is so smart and also has a heart the size of a mountain.” And I think that’s really beautiful because Poirot is in service to people. But he’s also conceited as hell. He knows he’s smart. And so, I think having that edge – someone who’s very sure of themselves and also someone who can be very generous and care is again really special.

And Austin is fresh out of the gate. I mean he’s such a youngster but wow stunning. A stunning, nuanced, generous, present performance. I think he’s got a huge career ahead of him.

JAMES

Some of the best comedies in the world center around murder and mayhem such as Arsenic and Old Lace or Dr. Strangelove. What is it about these high stakes stories where death looms that makes them such an ideal vehicle for laughter and farce.

CLARE

The one thing we know when we come onto planet earth is that we’re going to die. And it’s something that we don’t talk about that often, so these stories take that taboo and make fun of it. And even though we can be killed so easily – as a society most of us agree we’re not going to kill each other. So, I think there’s something fun in bringing up a completely immoral, illegal, taboo act and laughing at it. And to think about it in a playful way because we know we’re not allowed to do it. But there’s something tantalizing about the forbidden fruit idea of it. And I love laughing at things that are deeply serious. It’s naughty and cathartic and I think people like being naughty.

JAMES

You know I saw Liars at a Funeral which you directed at ATP last year and it was a very funny show but one of the parallels between that play and this play and a lot of plays these days is they might have one or two people who play a single character and then they’ve got a cast that are playing multiple characters and that seems to be very common now and I’m wondering what sort of elements to a production does that type of casting and that type of story telling create?

CLARE

That’s part of the fun, right. Watching people transform. And this particular show is written for the TikTok generation. I say that because the scenes are short. There’s lots of stuff to look at all the time. And that’s the play written and then we’ve leaned into that with the production where there’s so much happening on stage all the time. In a good way. And it’s still focused.

Obviously, budgets have influenced the desire for actors to take on multiple characters. But I also think in a world where we can see so much on TV and on our phones at the drop of a hat where we see big casts and people playing specific characters all the way through – that there’s something fun about the poetic nature of theatre that really lends itself to people taking on different roles. And that’s certainly true with this show with the number of costumes and quick changes happening. It’s like watching a high wire act, right. There’s a joy in watching that kind of stuff.

JAMES

So, Peril in the Alps by Stephen Dietz is a sequel to last year’s Murder on the Links and both plays focus on Hercule Poirot. And even though the plays have a lot of laughs they maintain the core characteristics of Poirot, and I wonder what are those qualities of Poirot in the plays that make him such an enduring and loved character in the world.

CLARE

Well, I think it’s his psyche. His ability to be present. To not just be witnessing something but to be really aware of it. Aware of the minutiae in a moment in a case. To follow the evidence and not his emotions. To remain somewhat detached and to be able to piece together very simple clues that other people skip over because they’re not actually paying attention. They’re just watching. So, his ability to be so fast and put things together so quickly is lovely. And his desire to serve people is I think something that’s endearing.

And then I think we love a character that’s a bit conceited. We love a character that is sure of himself. We love a character like that because we are taught that you shouldn’t do that in the world. We should be modest and not toot our own horn. So, I think a part of what we enjoy about Poirot is that he has the courage to sit in pleasure. This brings me pleasure and I’m doing it. So, he does that very clearly. And then to know that you’re good and to know and be clear about knowing that you’re brilliant. And he knows he’s the best.

He’s also very solitary. Never been married. He’s kind of a mystery at home. There’s something about that containment that’s magic. Mystery is magic. So, his life is magic and there’s something I think about the lone wolf part of him that I find very attractive too. Like this interesting guy who is able to go into other worlds, but his world is actually quite private. So, there’s something cool about that.

JAMES

For audiences coming to see Peril in the Alps which blends suspense and comedy and includes a cast playing multiple characters what kind of an evening can they expect as they take their seats, and the curtain rises, and the story unfolds.

CLARE

It’s amazing. I mean Naomi is right over here and we just had a run through. She’s the stage manager. She’s brilliant. We just had a run through earlier today and we both looked at each other after the run through and we’re like it goes so fast and it’s really like a roller coaster ride. You get on at the beginning of Act I and it just comes to life so quickly and with so much detail and the precision of it is so entertaining.

So, it’s fast paced and I say it’s great for all generations. There are some people who are going to know Poirot and are going to know his cases in depth. But you can bring your kids, and they’ll be like – “Oh, my God. That’s amazing! Oh, lights. Flashing. Sound. Oh, I learned something. Oh, there’s a bit of a mystery here I can follow. Oh, it’s funny.” Like it’s very poppy in that way.

And it’s a totally solvable mystery and people like to peace together clues. And it’s just so fast paced and funny and the characters are so charming. The set design is gorgeous. And the lighting is by Anton deGroot who is amazing. And we have Peter Moller one of our iconic sound designers in town creating the sound. And then watching people get in and out of all these costumes is fun. So, it’s like getting on a roller coaster and watching a high wire act where you throw in a solvable mystery and laugh your butt off and there’s a night at the theatre I’d pay for.

JAMES

Hey – before I let you go – you know these days we have things called social media.

CLARE

Oh yeah.

JAMES

And I follow you on Instagram.

CLARE

Oh, you do. I should follow you back. Do I follow you back?

JAMES

You do actually. But I’ve got to tell you, I like looking at your Instagram feed because it shows all the amazing people you work with and all the amazing work you’re doing, and I was wondering if you can help me with one thing. On your Instagram account you describe yourself as an Artistic Director / Director / Actor / Creator / Meditator / and an Eternal Optimist.

CLARE

Yes.

JAMES

That’s what I need help with. I tend to see the dark side of things. So, how do you become an eternal optimist? Is it your nature? Is it something you foster? Is it an attitude?

CLARE

I’ve always had a very buoyant personality, but I’ve also had some really really tough stuff that came my way at a very young age. And it’s interesting because when I started theatre school my classmates were like, “Ah she’s the youngest in the class. She’s so irritating. She’s always so happy.” And I was like – well I can tell you my life story – this is earned happiness. And I won’t go into it now, but life has thrown me many curveballs, and I think the only way to get through it with a sense of joy is to believe – not just believe at this point – but to know that everything is always going to work out. And don’t take things too seriously. What’s the worst thing that’s going to happen? You’re going to die. And we’re all going to die anyway. So maybe it’s just my dark side that makes it deeply macabre and funny. (Laughs) I don’t know.

JAMES

Well then how do you think theatre help us find joy and optimism.

CLARE

I love everyone that creates theatre. The people who actually put their bodies on that stage – like the actors who get up there every night – they are front line workers. Because what we’re doing in theatre I think is showing people that you can have the courage to live beyond the mundane. And for me that is just huge because I think rather than compare yourself with everybody on social media and to constantly be putting yourself in boxes you should free yourself and imagine something beyond the mundane.

And I think there’s something beautiful about the liveness of theatre that you can be present with other people in this dark space. It’s magical. It can change the way you think about the world. It can change the way you feel about yourself. It can help you process really hard things. It can also help you laugh at life and escape some of the drama that feels so serious around us. So, I think theatre offers a lot of different things and I think this particular show stokes the whimsey in us. It stokes the child like nature in us. It stokes our sense of imagination and possibility. And there’s a lot of daring in the show and so, I think it makes us a bit more daring.

***

Vertigo Theatre Presents Peril in the Alps by Stephen Dietz based in part on Agatha Christie’s Poirot Investigates from November 15^th to December 14^th. Tickets are available from the Vertigo Theatre Box Office by phone at 403.221.3708 or online at vertigotheatre.com.

Graphic Linking to Story - Devil of a Christmas - Not every life is so wonderful. A short story by James Hutchison about George Bailey.

Murder on the Links by Steven Dietz at Vertigo Theatre

Posted on November 22, 2024December 8, 2024 by James Hutchison

Trevor Rueger, Javelin Laurence in Murder on the Links at Vertigo Theatre. Photo Fifth Wall Media.

Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie and adapted for the stage by Steven Dietz is designed to not only give your little grey cells a workout but to tickle your funny bone as well. Yes, this adaptation of Christie’s story is murderously funny while still retaining all the intrigue, mystery, and appeal of the original story. The fun, and there is much of it, comes from how the production is designed and the imaginative way in which the story is told.

Murder on the Links divider Vertigo Theatre

To begin with I want to say how very much I like Trevor Rueger as the world-renowned Belgium Detective Hercule Poirot and Javelin Laurence as his trusty companion and friend Captain Hastings. I would love to see more of these two in these roles on the Vertigo stage. They have a delightful chemistry and feel absolutely perfect as Poirot and Hastings. In fact, the whole cast is brilliant. And much of the success of any play is based on finding actors who fit their roles and interact with each other in a natural and appealing way and director Jenna Rodgers has certainly accomplished that and put together a terrific ensemble.

However there is one slight situation which requires a word of explanation. On the night I saw the play the very talented and well known to Calgary audiences Meg Farhall who plays Woman 1 was, due to illness, unable to perform. Stepping into the role was another well known and talented actor from the Calgary Community, Ayla Stephen. I have little doubt that Farhall is absolutely brilliant in the play, and I’m disappointed I didn’t see her performance but rest assured Ayla did a wonderful job and fit into the ensemble perfectly. Of course, we wish Farhall a full recovery and a speedy return to the stage. So, for this review I’ll be talking about Ayla’s performance, but the production stills will be of Meg Farhall.

Heidi Damayo, Todd Houseman, Javelin Laurence, Meg Farhall, and Graham Percy in Murder on the Links at Vertigo Theatre. Photo Fifth Wall Media.

The rest of the cast is composed of the highly versatile and talented Graham Percy, Heidi Damayo, and Todd Houseman. These three bring much fun to the proceedings as they play multiple roles and illustrate a keen sense of comic timing and playful story telling. The play is designed in such a way that one actor plays Poirot, and one actor plays Hastings, and the other four actors play multiple characters.

The story begins when Hastings meets a young lady, played by Heidi Damayo on a train who will only identify herself as Cinderella. Hastings is absolutely charmed by the young lady, but she departs and Hastings heads home and finds his flat mate Poirot restless and disappointed that no new adventure has surfaced to occupy his time and challenge the little grey cells. However, Hastings notices a letter in the post from a Paul Renauld, played by Graham Percy, asking Poirot that he come urgently as Renauld fears that his life may be in danger because of a secret he possesses.

This intrigues Poirot and with the call to adventure answered Hastings and Poirot arrive in France only to discover that Renauld has been murdered! His body was found in a shallow grave on a golf course adjacent to his estate. But of course, everything is not as it seems. And as usual in a Poirot story there are some delightful twists and turns along the way before the true identity and motive of the murderer is revealed.

Trevor Rueger, Javelin Laurence, Hedi Damayo in Murder on the Links at Vertigo Theatre — Trevor Rueger, Javelin Laurence and Hedi Damayo in Murder on the Links at Vertigo Theatre. Photo Fifth Wall Media.

The list of suspects includes Paul Renald’s wife Eloise Renald played by Alya Stephen who seems to have an alibi. There is Renald’s son Jack played by Todd Houseman who had argued with his father and made threats against him only days before. And there is Theodora Van Hoven played by Alya Stephen and Theodora’s daughter Marte Van Hoven played by Heidi Damayo who have recently moved into the neighbouring estate.

Much of the fun in a Poirot mystery comes from the fact that there are always plenty of suspects who have some connection to the murder. In this case that includs the mysterious young lady known as Cinderella and another young woman by the name of Bella Duveen who is also played by Heidi Damayo. Adding to this group of suspects there are a number of other characters including a weepy maid, Renauld’s lawyer, a judge, a station master, and a couple of characters from a previous murder similar to Renauld’s murder who may be connected in some way to the current investigation.

Javelin Laurence, Todd Houseman, Trevor Rueger, Graham Percy in Murder on the Links at Vertigo Theatre. Photo Fifth Wall Media.

Poirot is not the only one investigating the crime. There is the local police Commissary Lucien Bex, played by Graham Percy who is more than happy to have Poirot on the case and marvels as Poirot turns up clue after clue after clue that Lucien’s own men have missed. In addition to Lucien there is Monsieur Girard a detective from the Paris Sûreté, played by Todd Houseman who sees himself equal to if not better than Poirot. The two rivals, decide to make things interesting by making a gentleman’s wager as to who will be first to solve the crime.

In addition to a terrific acting ensemble director Jenna Rodgers has assembled an outstanding design team including set designer Julia Kim, costume designer Jolane Houle, lighting designer Kathryn Smith, and sound designer Tori Morrison who also created additional compositions to add to the original music compositions by Robertson Witmer.

Heidi Damayo, Graham Percy, Meg Farhall in Murder on the Links at Vertigo Theatre — Heidi Damayo, Graham Percy, and Meg Farhall in Murder on the Links at Vertigo Theatre. Photo Fifth Wall Media.

One of the things that keeps the energy up in a play is designing smooth transitions between scenes and in order to accomplish that you have to design a set and style of production that makes the scene changes feel like a dissolve on stage instead of stopping the action, moving things about, and beginning again. When we first take our seats, we are greeted with an empty stage with two very tall panels on either side. The stage is painted in beautiful garden colours that make us feel like we are being transported to a country estate in France where a substantial part of the play takes place.

There are a variety of locations including a golf course, an estate, a garden shed, a court of law, and a train station. To facilitate the various locations a few props are used when needed. Tall flats with a door to enter or exit from and with windows on the second floor through which we can observe the shadows of the occupants in the rooms above are wheeled on and off stage to create the various locations. During these transitions the dialogue and music continue and so the action and energy never stops. Adding to the ambience is the lighting design which leads our eye to particular places on stage and creates a unique feeling for each location.

The cast of Murder on the Links at Vertigo Theatre. — Trevor Rueger, Graham Percy, Todd Houseman, Javelin Laurence, Meg Farhall and Heidi Damayo, in Murder on the Links at Vertigo Theatre. Photo Fifth Wall Media.

The music – and there is plenty of it – is a particularly fun element. It adds to the comic moments by underscoring the sudden reveals, red herrings, and clues and plays up some of the melodrama of the murder mystery genre. The music never overpowers what’s happening on stage or being said by the characters but instead blends perfectly and naturally with the dialogue and action.

You know one of the fun things about a great fictional character is that it gets many interpretations. In fact, part of the joy of Hamlet, Sherlock Holmes, and Felix Unger is not just the written text, but also the unique qualities each actor brings to the character. So, when it comes to Poirot, I love Peter Ustinov’s portrayal of the character and in particular his version of Death on the Nile because he adds an element of comical mischief to his Poirot. I love David Suchet’s Poirot because I think he really embraces the vision that Christie had for the character, and he often seems during his investigations to ponder the morality of mankind. And Kenneth Branaugh’s egg obsessed Poirot is all about the moustache, I think. A bold choice. And moustache aficionados everywhere will be excited to know that there’s a rumour going around that Kenneth Branaugh’s moustache will be returning as Poirot for a fourth time in order to solve The Murder of Roger Ackroyd in a new movie adaptation of Christie’s classic novel.

Todd Houseman, Graham Percy, Trevor Rueger, and Meg Farhall in Murder on the Links at Vertigo Theatre. Photo Fifth Wall Media.

So, the fun of seeing a stage production is we get to see a new interpretation of the character by one of our local actors. Trevor Reuger’s performance as Poirot is a delight. Trevor is a master of comedy and like most good comic actors he also has a talent for the dramatic and he’s able to be serious when needed and playful when needed. Yes, his Poirot is obsessed with order but his drive and determination to arrive at a solution is what makes him so much fun to watch and he is often two or three steps ahead of everyone else.

Javelin Laurence as Hastings brings a feeling of immediate trust and likability to their portrayal of Hastings. Much of the play has Hastings and other characters delivering narration directly to the audience and Laurence brings a charm and slightly naive honesty to their interactions with both the audience and other characters. But that can be forgiven because Hastings is a bit of romantic and their encounter with Cinderella has left them with hopes and feelings that we’ve all felt sometimes when we’ve had a brief encounter with someone and there’s been a little spark of interest between us.

Trevor Rueger, Javelin Laurence, and Meg Farhall in Murder on the Links at Vertigo Theatre. Photo Fifth Wall Media.

The rest of the cast is just as marvelous and its so much fun to see them playing off each other and finding both the comedy and the mystery in the play. Whether she’s playing a weeping maid or the mysterious and brash and full of life Cinderella Heidi Damayo is a joy to watch. She knows how to turn a phrase or give a look to the audience that delivers a laugh or a more mysterious and sinister message.

Ayla Stephen can play big bold characters and Theodora Van Hoven the new neighbour is a big flamboyant and commanding woman who is clearly used to getting what she wants and she’s not afraid to do battle with Poirot or anyone else who stands in her way. In contrast to this powerhouse Ayla plays Eloise Renald the loving and grief-stricken widow with a sincere and emotional honesty.

Meg Farhall and Trevor Rueger in Murder on the Links at Vertigo Theatre. Photo Fifth Wall Media.

Graham Percy brings an adoring fanboy quality to his portrayal of Commissary Lucien Bex who I wouldn’t be surprised to find out has a poster of Poirot on his study wall. Percy contrasts that characterization with some wonderful deadpan moments as he plays other characters including the grounds keeper, a train agent, and a front desk clerk.

Todd Houseman’s portrayal of Monsieur Girard from the Paris Sûreté has a delightful arrogance and cheerful pomposity that contrasts nicely with his portrayal of the emotional and fiery son Jack who is one of the main suspects in the murder. Houseman also portrays the family lawyer, and he physically feels very much like a snake as he slithers in and slithers out of scenes providing Poirot with the latest version of Paul Renauld’s will.

There are two particularly delightful parts to Steven Dietz’s inventive script that I’m going to share with you because telling you about them doesn’t dimmish how fun they are to watch, and I think they are in fact a huge drawing card that makes the evening memorable.

Since this is a cast playing multiple roles, situations arise where the actor playing one of their roles is required to play one of their other characters at the same time. For example, at one point in the play when Todd Houseman is playing Jack the son of the murder victim, he is suddenly required to also play Inspector Girard and interrogate Jack. Houseman’s quandary is shared by other cast members as they too are asked at times to double up and the resulting solutions the actors come up with results in plenty of laughter and fun.

This is Agatha Christie so – yes, the plot does get complicated. There are always a lot of characters to keep track of and motives to sort out and all these characters are usually lying about who they are, where they were, and what they know. So, to help the audience understand exactly what’s going on Poirot enlists the rest of the cast and a bunch of bowling pins dressed in little costumes that match the costumes of the characters in the play to help explain what we know so far. Needless to say, not only do we clarify the case and the suspects and their motives, but we also get to enjoy a lot of good laughs along the way.

Murder on the Links at Vertigo Theatre has all the zany fun of a play like Arsenic and Old Lace but still retains all the elements we’ve come to expect from a satisfying and puzzling mystery. Director Jenna Rodgers has worked her magic by gathering together a talented group of actors and designers who bring to life an inventive and clever script by Steven Dietz that makes for a fun and entertaining evening at the theatre.

Murder on the Links runs at Vertigo Theatre until Saturday December 21st with matinee performances on Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 PM and evening performances from Tuesday to Saturday at 7:30 PM. Single tickets start at $30 and are available by calling the Vertigo Theatre Box Office at 403.221.3708 or online at vertigotheatre.com.

Murder on the Orient Express at Vertigo Theatre – Interview with Director Jovanni Sy

Posted on December 6, 2022March 13, 2023 by James Hutchison

Murder on the Orient Express Poster for Vertigo Theatre Production

Vertigo Theatre 2022/23 Season

Misery, Murder on the Orient Express, The Extractionist, Gaslight, Nevermore

Murder on the Orient Express at Vertigo Theatre is a masterful and thrilling production of the Agatha Christie classic cleverly adapted for the stage by Ken Ludwig.

***

Everything is not as it seems. That statement has never been more true of a murder mystery than in Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express. Hercule Poirot finds himself surrounded by an eclectic assortment of characters including wealthy American businessman with a shady past Samuel Ratchett, the elderly Russian Princess Dragomiroff forced to live in exile, and the overbearing, loud, and life of the party Mrs. Hubbard, an American. Before the train can reach its destination, it is stopped by a snow drift in the mountains and during the night one of the passengers is murdered!

Poirot is assigned the task of investigating the murder by his friend and manager of the railroad Mousier Bouc who is also travelling on the train. There’s an abundance of clues. An abundance of suspects. And only Hercule Poirot can untangle the web of deception and decipher all the clues to figure out his most baffling and morally challenging case.

Vertigo Theatre takes you along for a thrilling, fun, and intriguing murder mystery featuring a terrific cast including Haysam Kadri as Hercule Poirot. I sat down with the director of the play Jovanni Sy who is also a playwright and actor to talk with him about Murder on the Orient Express, what makes the mystery genre so popular, and how he came to play Mr. Miyagi in the premiere of The Karate Kid – The Musical.

JAMES HUTCHISON

The murder mystery is a popular genre of fiction. So, I’m curious what do you think it is about that genre that has such a lasting appeal, and then I’m wondering specifically, why is Poirot such a popular figure? What did Agatha Christie stumble upon or deliberately design to make Poirot the much beloved and popular character that he is?

JOVANNI SY

I have a theory. I think people love mysteries because the detective is ultimately a seeker of truth. It’s solving a puzzle but it’s also trying to uncover the truth in the face of all your adversaries trying to inundate you with lies. There’s something really appealing about that, about being able to weed through all the deception, weed through all the artifice to uncover a nugget of truth.

And as for Poirot, I think people love him because he’s a showman. He’s so idiosyncratic. One of the really interesting things about the whole detective genre is that we get to know most well-known detectives on a reasonably superficial level. The story is not about their journey to get from point A to point B and learn something along the way. It really is a plot-driven genre, so people will like mysteries in as far as the mystery is compelling and good.

I don’t think Poirot would’ve been a popular detective if Christie weren’t extremely adept at constructing these wonderful puzzles for him. We know his characteristics, but they’re all rather external. They’re about his vanity or his pomposity or his strict moral code. But he doesn’t often undergo a dramatic journey the way protagonists in other genres do. It’s really about how good is he at solving the mystery.

Production Still Murder on the Orient Express at Vertigo Theatre — Mike Tan as Monsieur Bouc, Sarah Roa as Countess Andrenyi, and Haysam Kadri as Hercule Poirot in the Vertigo Theatre Production of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express adapted for the stage by Ken Ludwig and directed by Jovanni Sy. Photo by Tim Nguyen

JAMES

In this production, you’ve assembled a stellar cast including Haysam Kadri who is portraying Poirot. What do you think are the qualities Haysam brings to his portrayal of Poirot and as the director of the play how much of that is the director’s vision and how much is the actor’s vision? How did that collaboration work on this production?

JOVANNI

What Haysam brings, other than being a superlative actor is real fierce intelligence. He’s really good at thinking through the text. I mean, I think it’s no surprise he is the artistic director of The Shakespeare Company, and you know for most interpreters of Shakespeare you really need a very rigorous sense of diction and thought. Thought and text have to be aligned and with Shakespeare it requires a real cerebral kind of technique.

And I think approaching the character ultimately, it’s him. He’s the guy doing it. I think where I help is early on in rehearsal, I felt he was doing a wonderful job right off the top, but it felt like his Poirot had a more Sherlock Holmes kind of rhythm to him. Because, you know he’s done such a wonderful job of playing Holmes where everything was super direct, and Holmes is like tunnel focused and everything is to get to the point. Poirot’s not like that.

Poirot is a hedonist. Poirot loves his rich food and his expensive wines and beautiful women. And he is a bit of a showman. In Ludwig’s text he has a lot of stuff where Poirot’s constructed something like the way a magician would present a trick – you sit there and in a second I will show you – this! And he constructs a lot of reveals in a very ostentatious almost vaudevillian kind of way.

So, we almost had to slow down Haysam’s motor. I think his own personal motor is probably more closely aligned to a Holmes-like character who is super fast, super cerebral, super to the point, and instead have him sit back and really enjoy the indulgences of a Poirot and the way he enjoys unfurling the mystery for you in a very showy manner.

JAMES

You know, it’s interesting too with Poirot being as you mentioned a hedonist that perhaps he is more in touch with the psychology and motivation of his suspects.

JOVANNI

Absolutely. I think you’re quite right. Whereas Holmes is much more evidence-driven, science-driven, and data-driven with his kind of process Poirot is about constructing the mindset of the killer. He definitely looks at a murder scene and thinks, “Is this a tidy or an untidy kind of killing? What frame of mind were the perpetrator or perpetrators in? Were they in a hurry? Were they enjoying themselves?” He really tries to pinpoint the psychological makeup and motivators for any kind of crime and match that against his range of suspects. Whereas Holmes is practically on the spectrum where he observes a lot but misses things about the way people work because he’s clinical and robotic in his approach.

JAMES

One of the interesting things about Murder on the Orient Express is of course the setting because the play takes place on a train, and that certainly provides challenges for your set designer, Scott Reid and your actors. But it’s also fun to see on stage. Can you talk a little bit about the set design and what it was like to create that world and put the characters into it?

JOVANNI

It has its inherent challenges. Some things are really hard to circumvent as in Ratchet’s sleeping compartment must be next to Mrs. Hubbard’s on one side and Poirot’s on the other. You can’t really get around that. I think the geography of the crime is pertinent to its uncovering. So, some things are set in stone.

It’s a challenge because a train is a confined space and I think we leaned into it as much as possible. We didn’t try to do an abstract representation where a train corridor could suddenly easily accommodate the five people who needed to be in the corridor. So, you know, in that scene where they’re all passing each other, we just leaned into how even in the most luxurious train on earth you still have a problem if it gets crowded when you try to pass each other in a corridor. Or when you have nine people in a room that is literally three by five how do you stage that?

It was tricky and it takes a lot of precision so that people aren’t blocking each other. Fortunately, the sight lines are good. Scott created some really smart conventions like being able to see through the walls from the rooms to the corridor and having walls implied but not completely filled out.

Luigi Riscaldino as Michel the Conductor, Sarah Roa as Countess Andrenyi, Haysam Kadri as Hercule Poirot, Mike Tan as Monsieur Bouc the Vertigo Theatre Production of Agatha Christies’s Murder on the Orient Express adapted for the stage by Ken Ludwig and directed by Jovanni Sy. Photo by Tim Nguyen

JAMES

So, I want to talk a little bit about another iconic character because you’re also an actor and earlier this year you were in the world premiere of The Karate Kid – The Musical, and you played Mr. Miyagi, who in the original movie was played by Pat Morita. What was it like to work on that show and become part of the DNA, so to speak, of Mr. Miyagi?

JOVANNI

It was surreal is the only word I have for it. I mean, that was such an iconic movie for me. I was sixteen when it came out. And, Pat Morita, you have to understand, was like an idol to a whole generation of Asian performers, because we were so underrepresented. There were so few figures in television and film that weren’t the stereotypical background kind of guy who was a buffoon or an idiot or just inconsequential. Mr. Miyagi had power and agency and dignity and humour and pathos and Pat Morita did an incredible job. He got an Oscar nomination. So, he’s an iconic figure to so many Asian performers and artists of my generation and subsequent generations.

So, to walk into his shoes was daunting because he created a character that everybody knows – everybody loves, and the challenge was how to interpret it and make it my own and not try to just copy him because I couldn’t even if I tried. Even if I just wanted to say, “Hey, let me just crib, everything Pat Morita did.” I’m not Pat Morita. It wouldn’t work. And, in the end, what made it even more surreal was Ralph Macchio, William Zabka, and Martin Kove they all came out to see the show in St. Louis. Talk about meeting your idols. So, it was an incredible experience.

JAMES

I did read somewhere that there are plans for Broadway. Is that correct?

JOVANNI

It’s still in the works. I think if it happened it would probably happen in 2024, but you never know. It could happen. I hope it does. I would love to do that show again.

JAMES

Is that an ambition of yours to get on the Broadway stage?

JOVANNI

You know, it wasn’t. I’m pretty happy with my career in Canada. I mean it’s not an ambition in the sense of one that I would say I actively pursued. There are musical theatre specialists who move to New York, and they’re clearly working towards that trajectory. So it was, I would say more of a fantasy than an ambition. I thought about it the same way I thought it would be great to play shortstop for the Jays, you know, it’s just in the back of my mind. I took no concrete steps to get there. It just sort of happened. But would it be great to be on Broadway? Yeah.

JAMES

I understand that when this opportunity first came up you were busy with a lot of other things and you went, “Nah, I’m not going to do it.” But your wife, Leanna Brodie, had some good career advice for you.

JOVANNI

That’s absolutely true. When I got the call I was directing my thesis play at the University of Calgary. I had just started. I was at the busiest I could have been and I was also scheduled to direct a show in Winnipeg around the time that Karate Kid would’ve happened. So, I thought, you know, I already said I’d do something else, but she said, “Look your friend would understand if you got this. You could pull out of your directing commitment.” Which I ended up doing. But she told me, “If you’re going to do it, don’t just do it half-ass. Do a good job.” And I listened to her. I actually really worked on the video audition. I sent it in still thinking this is ridiculous. There’s no way. But it happened. It just happened and I almost didn’t bother submitting because I thought I’m too busy. Leona is the smartest person I know and always gives very good advice.

JAMES

You’re an actor, director, and you’re also a playwright. Your very own mystery, Nine Dragons, premiered on the Vertigo stage in 2017, which I saw, and I really liked. The story follows Chinese Detective Tommy Lam in 1920s Hong Kong, while he investigates the deaths of several women, and he finds himself battling racism and he risks losing his career, reputation, and maybe even his life. So where did the inspiration for that story come from and what does the future hold for Detective Tommy Lam?

JOVANNI

The funny thing is, I had an image of Tommy’s foil the character Victor Fung, first. I think I saw a picture of a Chinese man in a beautiful tuxedo looking very Noel Cowardesque and I thought, what an interesting man, who is he, why is he dressed like this? And I thought of a Victor Fung like character and I’ve always loved mysteries so the idea to make it noiresque and set it in 1920s Colonial Hong Kong came early.

I was working on this piece in Toronto before I moved out to Vancouver in 2012, but I ran into Craig Hall the artistic director of Vertigo Theatre at a conference in Calgary and we talked about this piece I was writing and he thought, that sounds really interesting. And Craig has his own connection to Hong Kong, and he’s been to Hong Kong a number of times. So, that’s how it started. That’s the connection to Vertigo and why it premiered there. It wouldn’t have happened without Craig.

And what’s in store for Tommy? Craig actually commissioned a prequel, which is another Tommy Lam story that takes place about thirteen years before Nine Dragons. So, we’re talking 1911, Hong Kong and I started working on it. And it may have a future at Vertigo. Jack Grinhaus the current artistic director of Vertigo Theatre and I have been talking about it but it’s early. We’ll see.

JAMES

You know, you’re writing plays and you’re creating this character have you ever thought of writing some Tommy Lam mystery novels? You could write a whole series.

JOVANNI

I haven’t. But you know I love that genre and if I were to turn to long-form fiction, I think I would go in the mystery direction.

JAMES

So, you not only write mystery, but you also write comedy and congratulations are in order because you recently won the Playwrights Guild of Canada Comedy Award for your play, The Tao of the World. And it’s a free adaptation of William Congreve’s Restoration comedy, The Way of the World. Your modern version takes place in Singapore, and it’s two years after a pandemic and the wealthy elite are making up for lost time by hatching schemes to bed other people’s partners and to swindle each other out of their dynastic fortunes. What’s the story behind the creation of that work?

JOVANNI

It’s really weird. I was at the UofC doing my MFA in directing and I needed to direct a thesis play. It kind of happened coincidentally because I was working on this Nine Dragons prequel which is a totally different beast and I had plans to direct this other play, a Brecht piece and then the faculty had some reservations about the viability of doing that piece so they suggested I do something else. And somebody said, “You know, we’re in the middle of COVID, we could use some laughs. Have you thought about doing a comedy?”

So, I thought, I’ve always loved Restoration comedy. I remember seeing a bunch early in my career and being a fan of a number of them. And I started looking at them and I thought about The Way of the World, but I thought at the same time, how can I take this established piece and try to reinterpret it from modern times because there’s something interesting about a new definition of restoration.

The Restoration comedies are all about the restoration of the monarchy after Cromwell. You know, the years of the Republic. So it’s the restoration of the monarchy coming in because most of the English royalists had been exiled in France. But what does restoration mean today? And to me it really meant the restoration of everyday life after we’ve been shut down.

I started working on it right in the middle of COVID when we were still working remotely, learning remotely. Masks were mandatory. Social distancing was mandatory. And so, what would it be like after COVID? Because I imagine the rich and wealthy would be just as naughty post-COVID as they were post-restoration of the monarchy, there’d be a kind of a giddy bawdiness and licentiousness.

And of course, I wanted to set it in an Asian setting because that’s what I’ve done with a lot of my works is try to recenter the experience to interpret it to a modern audience that includes Asians but doesn’t exclude everyone else. So that’s how it came about and was set in Singapore. It was almost like an experiment that just went really, really well.

JAMES

So, you know, it’s funny you mentioned needing a play and then this comes along. How much of your work do you find is just having the practical thing that you need and then inspiration strikes?

JOVANNI

That happens more often than you’d guess. I hadn’t even thought of it that way. Thank you. Wow. That’s a real, Aha! Yeah. I think it’s born of pragmatism first then the inspiration comes later. Or you know, not even inspiration. It’s like, I’ve got something to solve, so how do I solve it? I’m almost a believer that inspiration’s overrated and that if you frame creativity as a series of puzzles to be solved where you can define the parameters what you would call inspiration comes afterwards because you’ve had something active to work on.

Which is why I love writing in genre. I love the mystery genre. So, genre can actually be liberating because it sets the parameters for you and gives you something to do so you don’t have time to worry about do I have some kind of divine inspiration? You’re just trying to crack a knot, right?

JAMES

Inspiration is problem-solving.

JOVANNI

Yeah.

JAMES

We read mysteries, and we watch them on TV or at the movies, but there’s something extra fun and engaging about going to the theatre and seeing detective fiction. What makes the stage such an ideal and fun medium for experiencing a who-done-it and what sort of fun are audiences in for when they come to see your production of Murder on the Orient Express?

JOVANNI

I think first, it’s ultimately a fair test because you are literally, as an audience member, seeing everything exactly the same as the detective is seeing it. Everything that’s happening is happening in front of your eyes. There are no edits. There’s no selective choosing of things. You are solving the mystery at the same rate and with the same details that the detective has. So, it’s fair.

But the other thing is the implication that you can experience a surprise. The gasp. It’s happening right in front of your eyes – the mystery or shock, or unexpected bit of violence, or an unexpected bit of mayhem – it’s so immediate. And I think that’s why the stage is one of the best places to see mystery because it’s a visceral thing. You get that immediate connection when reading a mystery but it’s not in front of your eyes. You’re not seeing blood or a flash of light or hearing a sound that resonates to your core. So, if you’re going to see Murder on the Orient Express, you’re in for a literal ride. It’s like a train ride. You feel like you’re there on the train confined with the passengers and there’s a sense of danger and a sense of fun.

***

VERTIGO THEATRE presents Agatha Christie’s classic
MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS
Adapted for the stage by Ken Ludwig

Agatha Christie’s MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS features Haysam Kadri as Hercule Poirot, Luigi Riscaldino as Michel the Conductor/ Head Waiter, Stafford Perry as Col. Arbuthnot/Ratchett, Jesse Del Fierro as Mary Debenham, Elinor Holt as Mrs. Hubbard, Alexander Ariate as Hector MacQueen, Mike Tan as Monsieur Bouc, Elizabeth Stepkowski-Tarhan as Princess Dragomiroff, Lara Schmitz as Greta Ohlsson and Sarah Roa as Countess Andrenyi.

MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS is Directed by Jovanni Sy, Assistant Direction by Camryn Hathaway, Set & Projection Design by Scott Reid, Costume Design by April Viczko, Assistant Costume Design by Katriona Dunn, Lighting Design by Jonathan Kim, Sound Design & Original Composition by Andrew Blizzard, Assistant Lighting Design by Tauran Wood, Fight & Intimacy Direction by Brianna Johnston, Stage Management by Donna Sharpe, Ashley Rees, and Raynah Bourne.

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