Everything is present to take care of the audience. Even the surprises \u2013 and this is a mystery from the queen of the genre, so there are definitely surprises \u2013 feel like a knowing nod from your grandfather. They create firm truths that are obvious in hindsight, but the play lovingly and carefully guides the audience through to that same conclusion.<\/p>\n
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Gabriel Maldonado as Hercule Poirot Credit: Steve Rogers Photography<\/p>\n
As penned by Mark Shanahan, this adaptation takes on a distinctly literary bent. It tries to mimic Christie\u2019s novel format. Long monologues report observations, smattered through with character appearances like eyewitness statements in a case report. The actors are old hats, well-established and confident in their presentation of the facts. The main narration comes from Dr. James Sheppard (Rick Felkins), a small-town doctor whose new neighbor just happens to be everyone\u2019s favorite mustachioed Belgian detective. When intrigue and death cloak the wealthiest house in town, Sheppard teams up with Poirot (Gabriel Maldonado). Both actors settle deeply into their grooves, treading firm lines on the stage, without any doubt or hesitation. They\u2019ve done this before, their voices have the proper resonance, and if Maldonado\u2019s Belgian-French accent occasionally drifts toward the Spanish tones of his reoccurring Salvador Dal\u00ed appearances at VORTEX fundraisers, well, all can be forgiven. It still makes Poirot distinctly other, and distinctly appealing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Alexandra Russo as Helen Russell Credit: Steve Rogers Photography<\/p>\n
The ease in presentation extends throughout the cast. As Gertrude Ackroyd, Katherine Schroeder plays bitter booziness with obvious delight, relishing the beats of overt inappropriateness and uproarious shock. As military man Major Hector Blunt, Zachary Gamble\u2019s broad bearing fulfills the character\u2019s needs in every way. His brashness and confident carriage is a precise caricature of 1930s British sportsman. There\u2019s even more delight amongst the staff of the wealthy house. Steven Fay\u2019s butler, Parker, performs extreme condescension, with fellow actors surely obscured as he looks down the bridge of his nose. Alexandra Russo\u2019s prim house manager, Helen Russell, is every bit the uptight librarian type, which makes the reveal of her secrets all the more satisfying.<\/p>\n
This has been the year of Agatha all around, with Christie shows appearing at Austin Playhouse and Hill Country Community Theatre, all taking swings at the mystery queen\u2019s master detective Hercule Poirot. There is a comforting charm to these tales, all art deco and a distinctly British stiff upper lip, a time where women and immigrants solve everything in the most clever ways. Poirot inhabits a space where his worldliness adds value to everything he encounters. Rather than building walls, his experiences abroad lead to creative thinking and keen observation. It makes sense that Austin is drawn to these tales. Intelligence is rewarded, greed is punished, and even when things twist and turn, the wisest amongst them all is spared. Must be nice.<\/p>\n
\nThe Murder of Roger Ackroyd<\/p>\n
The VORTEX<\/p>\n
Through Dec. 6\n<\/p>\n