Haysam Kadri tackles role of legendary detective Hercule Poirot in Murder on the Orient Express

Haysam Kadri plays iconic detective Hercule Poirot in Vertigo Theatre's holiday production of Murder on the Orient Express. (Photo: Tim Nguyen)

Vertigo Theatre's holiday production starts, appropriately enough, with a snowdrift.

It's Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express, adapted for the stage by Ken Ludwig and presented by the city's theatrical home of murder and mayhem.

The snowdrift in question leads to the Orient Express being forced to stop unexpectedly, to wait for the tracks to be cleared after a freak snowstorm.

By morning, a wealthy American tycoon is dead in his sleeping compartment, stabbed eight times, with his door locked from the inside.

That leads to a real tension convention, as Det. Hercule Poirot, who happens to be a passenger, attempts to get to the bottom of what happened, all while a murderer is loose somewhere on the train.

The pressure is on Poirot to identify the killer before they strike again.

"Agatha Christie’s most popular book, will enthrall Calgary audiences in a fresh, humorous and fast-paced production,” said Vertigo Theatre’s artistic director Jack Grinhaus in a release. “There’s murder, mystery, and investigation while trapped on a train… in a snowdrift. Audiences will love trying to guess ‘whodunnit’ on this one during the holiday season!"

The production, directed by Jovanni Sy, features a cast that includes Elizabeth Stepkowski-Tarhan, Luigi Riscaldino, Elinor Holt, Jesse Del Fierro, Alexander Ariate, Stafford Perry, Laura Schmitz, Mike Tan, and Sarah Roa.

The cast is led by award-winning Haysam Kadri, as Poirot. Kadri thus becomes one of the few actors to play two of the stage's best-known and beloved sleuths, Sherlock Holmes and Poirot - as well as Scrooge, in Theatre Calgary's pandemic-era production of A Christmas Carol.

Kadri, in an email response, talked about the difference between playing Sherlock and Hercule Poirot.

"There is a definite difference in the motors of each character," he said. "Sherlock’s engine revs high, and Hercule’s is much more tempered . There’s a savoury quality to solving the mystery for Poirot, and he employs intellectual deduction to solve the mystery, (while he also analyzes) the psychology of the killer,  whereas Sherlock leans more on substances to elevate his mystery-solving prowess."

The cast of Murder on the Orient Express in rehearsal. (Photo: Tim Nguyen)

As to why Agatha Christie continues to be so popular, Kadri said, "Agatha Christie is still popular and will continue to be popular due to her mastery of the genre," he said.  "She is an exceptional storyteller, she often has a world view that is appealing and her mysteries are complex and intriguing . (She creates) extraordinary characters and extraordinary circumstances!"

Finally, Kadri addressed the question of the authenticity of his Hercule Poirot moustache: Is it real or a prop?

"It’s real," he said. "Obviously the one on the poster is photoshopped in, but I’ve been growing and grooming my moustache for the last four months - and eating soup has been quite the challenge!"

Perfect holiday murder fodder, Murder on the Orient Express runs from Nov. 12 through Dec. 17 at the Vertigo Theatre. Single tickets start at $30 and are available at Vertigo Theatre

Ticket Office, call 403.221.3708 or visit www.vertigotheatre.com.