Death on the Nile

 

Review by Paul Towers, 5/1/5

Agatha Christies’ Death On The Nile, adapted by Ken Ludwig

Directed by Lucy Bailey

Produced by Fiery Angel

At Royal & Derngate, Northampton until Saturday 8^th November 2025

While I enjoyed Fiery Angel’s recent production of Murder On The Orient Express I was disappointed that Hercule Poirot was not played with a Belgian accent. Death On The Nile by the same producers rectifies that. Mark Hadfield’s Belgian detective is everything you could want from the treasured Christie sleuth.  Chubby,  heavily accented and moustachioed, he is perfect.

Set aboard an Egyptian Nile steamer which is returning a pharaoh’s sarcophagus to its rightful resting place, an eclectic mix of passengers join Poirot and his chum Colonel Race.

As with many Christies stage adaptions there is a diva (Glynis Barbers’s Salome Otterbourne), a spoilt brat (Libby Alexandra-Cooper’s Linnet Doyle) and a hunky love interest (Nye Occomore’s Simon Doyle, recently married to Linnet). There is also Simon’s vengeful ex, Jaqueline De Bellefort (Esme Hough) to add to the line-up of potential murderers, people who have been wronged by Linnet’s father.

The script by Ken Ludwig is full of knowing nods for Christie fans and doesn’t take itself particularly seriously.

The set by Mike Britton is astonishing, huge slatted panels that slide across and a balcony housing bedrooms.

Altogether a very entertaining production and worth catching as it continues to tour

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