MICHAEL Maloney takes on one of the great roles in the whole of crime fiction as he plays Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot in a stage adaptation of one of her most popular mysteries, Murder On the Orient Express, coming to Bath Theatre Royal from Tuesday 11th to Saturday 15th March.

It’s winter 1934 and an avalanche stops the Orient Express dead in its tracks, on its return journey from Istanbul. An American tycoon lies dead in his compartment, stabbed eight times, his door locked from the inside. Trapped in the snow with a killer still on board, can the world’s most famous detective, Hercule Poirot, crack the case before the train reaches its final destination?

Lucy Bailey’s thrilling new stage production comes to Bath as part of a major UK and Ireland tour, with a 15-strong company that also includes Bob Barrett, Christine Kavanagh, Debbie Chazen, Rebecca Charles and Paul Keating.

Generally regarded as one of Christie’s greatest literary achievements, Murder On The Orient Express has a final twist that is among her very best. Gripping, tense and masterfully cryptic, this new production, adapted by Ken Ludwig and directed by Lucy Bailey, promises a deliciously thrilling ride and an ingenious murder mystery, guaranteed to keep audiences guessing until the end of the line.

Michael Maloney’s extensive film and television credits over five decades include Belfast, The Iron Lady, The Young Victoria, Notes On A Scandal, Truly Madly Deeply, Magpie Murders, The Trial Of Christine Keeler and Love On A Branch Line. On stage, his many roles for the RSC include Edgar, Romeo and Prince Hal; for the National Theatre, he has appeared in Light Shining in Buckinghamshire as Cromwell, Alice’s Adventures Under Ground as Lewis Carroll and Once in a While the Odd Thing Happens as Benjamin Britten. In the West End, he has appeared in the title role in Peer Gynt, Can You Hear Me at the Back? and Taking Steps.

Bob Barrett is best known on television as Sacha Levy in Holby City, a role he played from 2010 to 2022. On stage, he was in the UK tour of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, also directed by Lucy Bailey, which played Bath in 2024.

Christine Kavanagh’s screen credits include A Room with a View, Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking, In His Life: The John Lennon Story and A Very British Coup. Theatre credits include the UK tour of An Inspector Calls, which visited Bath in 2023, Ivo van Hove’s Hedda Gabler at the National Theatre, Gwendolyn in Lucy Bailey’s production of The Importance of Being Earnest, which visited Bath in 2014.

Debbie Chazen’s recent television and film appearances include Sister Boniface Mysteries, Dalgliesh, The Last Kingdom, Red Joan and Agatha Raisin. Her previous performances at Bath include the National Theatre’s staging of Mother Clap’s Molly House in 2001 and A Little Hotel On The Side in the 2013 summer season.

Rebecca Charles, who hails from Bristol, appeared at Bath in The Old Country in 2006, the UK premiere of The Father, alongside Kenneth Cranham in 2014 at the Ustinov Studio and in the main house in 2015 following a celebrated London run.

Paul Keating, who plays Hector MacQueen, first came to attention when he won the title role in the West End premiere of The Who’s Tommy while still working on a supermarket check-out.

Murder On The Orient Express has been adapted for the stage by Ken Ludwig whose 30 plays and musicals are staged around the world and throughout the United States. His six productions on Broadway and seven in London’s West End, include Crazy For You, which won Tony and Olivier Awards for Best Musical.

Photographs by Manuel Harlan