AUDITION INFORMATION:

Next up: 

The exotic Orient Express is about to go off the rails. With a train full of remarkable suspects and an alibi for each one, it’s the perfect mystery for detective Hercule Poirot.

Auditions will take place:

Headshots/resumes welcome. Auditions will consist of readings from the script. If you have a prepared monologue you may present it as time allows, but it is not required.

Director Lori Raffel is seeking Multiple roles:

Hercule Poirot

• Hercule Poirot, a recurring Christie character, has become one of the most famous fictional detectives. Poirot is a retired Belgian police officer turned private detective. As a private detective he tours Europe and the Mid-East solving murder mysteries. Because he is a private detective and has no apparent family, Hercule Poirot has a great deal of freedom. He is independently wealthy and the decisions he makes are not subject to law or otherwise. As exemplified in Murder on The Orient Express,Poirot does not always follow the law—he lets the real murderers go. This novel is one of two Christie books where the murder is let off. While Poirot does not always obey the law, he always abides his conscience and his sense moral law. "Moral Law" is somewhat like religious law or the law of God, it is a general sense of right and wrong that supersedes any man-made written laws. In the case of the Armstrong family, Poirot put moral law first. The private detective is an arbiter of morals; he has the power and the brains to fight evil.

• Poirot is moral and intellectual superhero. He is quite clearly smarter than any of the other passengers, especially M. Bouc and Dr. Constantine. In the beginning of Section three, Christie includes a humorous comparison of the thoughts of the three men. While Poirot sits motionless thinking and concentrating on the case, M. Bouc's thoughts wander to the repair of the train and Dr. Constantine's waver into pornography. Poirot's greatest task as a detective is to be the smartest person around; he must intellectually defeat the murderer. The Armstrongs purposefully attempt to confuse and fool Poirot. They set an elaborate set of clues and misleading evidence to veer him from the truth, but Poirot still wins. From the time he sits down and "thinks" with Dr. Constantine and M. Bouc, Poirot knows the solution of the case—it is merely a matter of confirming his suspicions.

• Poirot is a very likable character, despite his moral and intellectual greatness. He is over concerned with appearance, distracted by his moustache and has a liking for strong-willed British women (a.k.a. Ms. Debenham). He is rather short, slightly snobby and probably lonely at times. It is good Christie gives him cases so often. Hercule Poirot, through Christie's novels, is said to have aged to 105.

M. Bouc

• The director of the Compagnie Wagon Lits and formerly worked for the Belgian police force with Poirot. Traveling on the Orient Express, M. Bouc asks Poirot to take the case. M. Bouc provides comic relief in the novel, constantly frustrated with the case and confused by Poirot.

Dr. Constantine

• The coroner aboard the Orient Express. Dr. Constantine is often Poirot or M. Bouc's sidekick and is present for most of the evidence gathering. Dr. Constantine examines Ratchett's body and determines when he could have been killed.

Mary Debenham

• Mary Debenham, the tormented and unhappy spinster stock character, is actually the most attractive and interesting female on the Orient Express. Poirot describes Mary as "cool and efficient," a formal and somewhat uncaring English lady; however, Mary is also revealed as an extremely passionate woman. Poirot is attracted to Mary's defiance and quick mind, when she enters the dining car for questioning, he describes her, saying, "She wore not hat. Her head was thrown back...The sweep of her hair back from her face, the curve of her nostril suggested...a ship plunging gallantly into a rough sea...she was beautiful."

Mrs. Hubbard

• The character of Mrs. Hubbard is instrumental in the planning and carrying out of the murder. Mrs. Hubbard's cabin is right next to Ratchett and shares a communicating door with him. The night of the murder Mrs. Hubbard tells Poirot that Ratchett is a monster and that she is scared of him, she plants the idea that Ratchett is a bad person is Poirot's mind. The reader knows that Poirot already suspects Ratchett of evildoings, but Mrs. Hubbard does not. Mrs. Hubbard's call to the conductor in the early morning hours is also important to the case. By saying there was a man in her compartment, Mrs. Hubbard removed herself from suspicion since she was a victim of the attack. Mrs. Hubbard's hysterical behavior makes it easy to dismiss her as a suspect. Only an extremely talented actress could ever make up such fantastical speeches as Mrs. Hubbard. Mrs. Hubbard's downfall comes from one, simply mistake—the story about the lock on the communicating door. If Linda Arden hadn't said the bolt was below her bag, the case might have turned out differently. This piece of evidence, this obvious lie, called her into suspicion and confirmed her participation in the crime.

Colonel Arbuthnot

• A friend of Colonel Armstrong, and father of Daisy Armstrong. Like Mary Debenham, Poirot suspects him because he called Mary by her first name on the train to Stamboul. Colonel Arbuthnot is hard-willed, polite and very "English."

Princess Dragomiroff

• A Russian princess. Princess Dragomiroff is a generally despicable, ugly old lady; her yellow, toad-like face puts off Poirot. She is the owner of the famous "H" handkerchief found in Ratchett's room and tells Poirot many lies about the other passenger's identities.

Hector McQueen

• Ratchett's personal secretary. Hector is truly in cahoots with the Armstrong family. McQueen tries to hard to tell Poirot that Ratchett did not speak any French—making him an immediate suspect in the case.

Ratchett

• Real name Cassetti, kidnapped and murdered the young Daisy Armstrong for money. The Armstrong family murders Ratchett because he escaped punishment in the U.S. Poirot describes Ratchett as a wild animal.

Countess Andrenyi

• The sister of Sonia Armstrong, did not murder Ratchett. Because the Countess is closest to the Armstrong case, she attempts to conceal her identity by dropping grease on her passport and smudging the name label on her luggage. The Countess is quite young, dark haired and beautiful.

Count Andrenyi

• A very defensive man who tries to conceal the true identity of his wife, Countess Andrenyi. The Count takes his wife's place in the murder.

Cyrus Hardman

• The big flamboyant American. Cyrus is a detective with a well-known detective service in New York City. He becomes involved with the Armstrongs because he was in love with Daisy's French nurse who committed suicide after Daisy was killed. Cyrus pretends to help Poirot with the case.

Antonio Foscanelli

• M. Bouc is sure that Antonio, a big menacing Italian man, had something to do with the murders, primarily because M. Bouc distrusts Italians. Revealed by Poirot, Antonio was the Armstrong's chauffer. Antonio loved dear little Daisy and tears when he speaks of her.

Greta Ohlsson

• Greta Ohlsson weeps and weeps and weeps. The Swedish lady was Daisy Armstrong's nurse and is a very delicate type—not meant for murder.

Hildegarde Schmidt

• Has a kindly face set in an expression of "placid stupidity." Hildegarde is rather slow-minded and unquestioningly carries out the ugly Princess's orders. Hildegarde pretends to be Princess Dragomiroff's maid, but is truly the Armstrong's cook.

Edward Henry Masterman

• Ratchett's valet, brought into the murder plot by Hardman. Masterman is not a terribly colorful character, mainly referred to by his function—"the valet." Masterman is very polite and obedient, perhaps even haughty.

Pierre Michel

• Father of the suicidal nursemaid of Daisy Armstrong, is the Conductor of the Orient Express. Pierre, like the other servants does not initially receive much scrutiny—he is not a top suspect. However, as the novel progresses, his involvement in the murder is proven essential.

Rehearsals will begin in late June, with performances on the following dates:

• Friday, August 4, 2023 - 7:30 pm
• Saturday, August 5, 2023- 7:30 pm
• Sunday,  August 6, 2023- 2:30 pm
• Thursday, August 10, 2023- 7:30 pm
• Friday, August 11, 2023- 7:30 pm
• Saturday, August 12, 2023- 7:30 pm
• Sunday, August 13, 2023- 2:30 pm

All performances will be at The Cat in Fishers.