newportbeachindy . com JUNE 9 , 2023 13
STEPPING OUT
Laguna Playhouse ’ s ‘ Murder on the Links ’ is a Complex , Delicious Theatrical Confection
By Eric Marchese | Special to the NB Indy
Agatha Christie ’ s novel “ The Murder on the Links ,” which has its centennial this year , is notable as one of the earliest of her murder mysteries to feature the celebrated detective Hercule Poirot .
In 2021 , prolific playwright Steven Dietz adapted it for the stage , calling it “ Murder on the Links ,” and directed it in its world premiere at North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach .
Now , that production has been transplanted to Laguna Playhouse , giving Orange County theater audiences a chance to see the great Belgian sleuth unravel one of his most complex , baffling cases .
Adding tangy theatricality to this devilishly complex comic murder mystery , Dietz adopts an approach for its staging similar to popular contemporary works like “ Around the World in 80 Days ” and “ The 39 Steps ”: One actor is cast to portray each lead character , but the actors in the small ensemble each play multiple roles , switching costumes , accents and personas at the drop of a hat .
Dietz ’ s Laguna “ Links ” cast stars Omri Schein as the great Poirot , and as Dietz indicates in his script that Poirot and his companion and sidekick , Captain Hastings , should be of opposite gender , he
casts female performer Kim Morgan Dean as Hastings .
The play ’ s remaining 23 characters are portrayed by the multi-talented quartet of Jennifer Erdmann , Brian Mackey , Jessica Mosher and Matthew Salazar-Thompson . Throughout the play , we watch these skilled quick-change artists play the British murder victim , his wife and their son , who have a palatial estate in northern France ; his British mistress and her twin sister ; a French police inspector who resents Poirot ’ s presence in trying to solve the murder ; the manor ’ s various employees ; and the assorted neighbors , physicians and gendarmes who populate Christie ’ s tale .
“ Murder on the Links ” presents Poirot with a baffling case which , in its stage version , is dressed up and reinvented from Christie ’ s words on a page into something delightfully theatrical – a colorful show both visually and in terms of Christie ’ s characters . Hastings is more than just Poirot ’ s loyal best friend – he ’ s the chronicler of the sleuth ’ s exploits . As such , his narration is used as a framework for the play and also to provide an objective perspective of the action .
The whimsical tone is set in the first few minutes , during which we ’ re told that the events of the story occur not just in France and elsewhere , but also “ in the landscape of your mind .”
( Left to Right ) Jessica Mosher , Matthew Salazar-Thompson , Kim Morgan Dean , Omri Schein , Brian Mackey and Jennifer Erdmann star in the Laguna Playhouse production of “ Murder on the Links .”
Things get rolling when Poirot receives a cryptic letter from Paul Renauld ( Salazar-Thompson ), a Brit living in the ( fictional ) town of Merlinville-sur-Mer in northern France . Praising his “ detection and discretion ,” Renauld begs for Poirto ’ s help , so Poirot and Hastings set out for Renauld ’ s palatial estate .
Upon their arrival , though , they ’ re told by local police that Renauld has just been found stabbed to death and buried in a newly-dug grave near the golf course . Renauld ’ s wife Eloise ( Erdmann ) reports that around 2 a . m ., masked intruders broke in , tied her up and kidnapped her husband .
The murder kicks off two parallel investigations : One by Poirot , and the other by local police , headed by Inspector Giraud ( Mackey ).
Adding to the mystery is the presence of a mysterious British actress in red who introduces herself to Hastings . As he
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