Different Stages’ Classic Christie Adaptation

I grew up down the street from a local community theatre. I never did as many productions as I wanted to – there’s a reason I write about theatre instead – but the atmosphere of the building is ingrained in my mind. I can close my eyes and summon the shadows of the backstage wings, the texture of painted sets, the musty scent of curtains.

Although I’ve been to productions at the VORTEX before, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd’s specific set design by Charlie Boas flung me through time, blasting me back to memories of that community theatre, back to the company and crews of my teenage forays. Different Stages has crafted a Kodak print of a play in warm tones and solid lines, established world boundaries and traditional story beats. It presents a classic Christie tale in a classic manner, and watching competent actors be competently directed is like wrapping yourself in your grandmother’s quilt. 

Everything is present to take care of the audience. Even the surprises – and this is a mystery from the queen of the genre, so there are definitely surprises – 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.

As penned by Mark Shanahan, this adaptation takes on a distinctly literary bent. It tries to mimic Christie’s 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’s 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’ve done this before, their voices have the proper resonance, and if Maldonado’s Belgian-French accent occasionally drifts toward the Spanish tones of his reoccurring Salvador Dalí appearances at VORTEX fundraisers, well, all can be forgiven. It still makes Poirot distinctly other, and distinctly appealing. 

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’s broad bearing fulfills the character’s needs in every way. His brashness and confident carriage is a precise caricature of 1930s British sportsman. There’s even more delight amongst the staff of the wealthy house. Steven Fay’s butler, Parker, performs extreme condescension, with fellow actors surely obscured as he looks down the bridge of his nose. Alexandra Russo’s prim house manager, Helen Russell, is every bit the uptight librarian type, which makes the reveal of her secrets all the more satisfying.

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’s 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.

This article appears in November 28 • 2025.