Ken Ludwig’s Murder on the Orient Express
Technical Director/Designer
Murder on the Orient Express requires a fast-paced scenic concept inorder to keep the story moving. The star of the show is the train, and it needed to work clearly and quickly at every point. It was decided that we would do two seperate train cars that spun independantly of one another. In the end, we ended up with (2) 24’x12’ platforms that rotated freely on 20 casters each.
Concept
It was important to me that the train be accessible to the audience from multiple sides. I therefore had the delicate task of finding how to separate our playing spaces without jeopardizing sight lines. I decided to use 1x2 tube steel for all of the walls so we could keep the strength required to both rotate this large structure, but also give us enough visual clarity through the walls from any angle.
Needs of the show
Not only did the space need to shift and rotate, but our spaces needed to be cohesive. It was decided that the Dining Car would never spin, allowing the director to always have a safe way on and off the train for entrances/exits. Each of the Berths needed their own doors, as we wanted to spin the Sleeper Car to reveal Ratchet’s murder. We painted all hallway floors red, and each doorway gold so the actors knew the pathway to navigate the train around our invisible 4th walls.
Execution
The most gratifying bit of stage magic happens at the top of the show, when Poirot enters the train for the first time. The facade of the train flies out to reveal the interior of the train for the rest of the show.
PRODUCTION images
Dublin Jerome Theatre - Spring 2024
Directed by Jeff Horst
Technical Design by Nick Hahn