It's ages since I last went to the theatre. Not through lack of enthusiasm, but simply due to lack of time. However, some friends proposed a trip to see the new version of Agatha Christie's Death on the Nile, as adapted by Ken Ludwig, at the Lowry in Manchester. I've visited the Lowry several times over the years (most recently to mooch around the exhibition the day after recording the final of Christmas University Challenge at nearby Media City) but the only other time I've been to a performance there was to see Dionne Warwick in concert, ages ago.
The whole experience was a novelty, because we dined in the restaurant at the Lowry before the first act and ate our desserts during the interval. The latter was a bit rushed, but overall it was most enjoyable and the cuisine was excellent. A good start to the evening!
Now to the show itself. Ken Ludwig is an American playwright who has achieved huge commercial success over the years, although I've not seen his work previously. Nor, indeed, have I seen Agatha's own stage version of the story, known as Murder on the Nile, though the book is of course an old favourite. The set was excellent and imaginative, a real highlight of the show for me.
The script was radically different from the novel. Only one murder and some significant changes to the cast of characters. I thought that overall, the dialogue and structure were perfectly serviceable, although not outstanding. The acting was mixed. I'm afraid the actor who played Hercule Poirot had a nightmarish time, forgetting his lines and jumbling some of them up; the stress caused his accent to falter, too. I felt sorry for him and he had to be helped out at one point by the actor playing Colonel Race. A pity, because Poirot is such a central figure in the story. All the same, it was a fun evening out.
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