![The passengers of the Orient Express investigate the site of an unseen attack.
(From Left to Right - Back: Holly Jones [Princess Dragomiroff], Olivia Oakley [Greta Ohlsson], Tanya Reisen [Helen Hubbard]. Front: Shawn Plunkett [Colonel Arbuthnot], Emily Hood [Countess Adrenyi], Catalina Tan [Mary Debenham], and Abel Miramontes [Hercule Poirot]).](https://fchornetmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/cojeFpHz126MHLZqXRyQodGBRBBoLirrQ4ZytteQ.jpg)
The bitter cold of the Yugoslavian winter has crept into Orange County as Alchemy Theatre Company’s production of Agatha Christie’s “Murder on the Orient Express” pulls into the station at the Yorba Linda Cultural Center this Friday.
A stage adaptation of Christie’s novel, the play tells the story of detective Hercule Poirot, as his trip aboard the titular Orient Express is interrupted when a body is discovered in one of the passenger compartments. Trapped by a snowdrift, Poirot finds himself pulled into a web of deceit as the people around him shift from innocent bystanders to a rogue’s gallery.
Where “Murder on the Orient Express” stands out among other murder mysteries is not just in its colorful cast of characters and careful balance between humor and suspense, but in its timeless explorations of morality and questioning of what justice really looks like.
Director Brian Pirnat hopes not just to do justice to Christie’s story, but also to highlight some of the show’s timely political and moral undertones that ground it in the present moment.
“One of the things we wanted to do in this production is to make it feel modern and relevant. You know, we wanted to keep it rooted in 1934, but make it feel modern for a modern audience,” said Pirnat. “Kind of unfortunately, where we are currently with political climates and whatnot, it is still very relevant and can make that transfer easily to kind of a modern sensibility.”
Sitting in on a rehearsal roughly a week out from the show’s opening night not only provided a sneak preview of the story but also an insight into how the magic of theatre comes to be. It’s one big sleight-of-hand, with actors, directors, designers, and more all working in tandem.
“It’s been an incredible experience as a director. This is my first murder mystery, and that’s been a challenge because you need to plant seeds as you go and do little things that the audience may or may not notice, but are important,” said Pirnat. “Because, you know, some people may notice it, some people may not, which is the fun part of unraveling a mystery.”
Despite the lack of costumes, an unfinished set, and multiple stops for blocking tweaks at the rehearsal I attended, every time the cast would start back into Christie’s mystery, I was instantly transported to the cramped train compartments that the characters are confined to. All of this is especially enhanced by immersive blocking and direction combined with the Yorba Linda Cultural Center’s intimate theatre space.
“It invites the audience into, you know, [Poirot’s process],” said Pirnat. “The solution to this case is a little muddy, and so it allows the audience to kind of go on that journey with him and think about how they might handle it.”
“Murder on the Orient Express” runs from May 8th to the 17th, with shows on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Get tickets at www.alchemytheatre.com.