All An Act Adapts The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

peterruter

Local theater group All an Act will present their first show of 2024, an original adaptation of the Agatha Christie classic The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, a well-loved whodunit in her Hercule Poirot mystery series.

Premiering Friday, Feb. 9

For Erie's All An Act Theatre, how to kick off a new year's season is no mystery. Agatha Christie does it.

As the local theater company moves into its 20th year of work, a Christie play has helped usher in a new calendar year 13 times. For its 14th round, David W. Mitchell decided to adapt one of her novels himself, one centering around blackmail and death.

Debuting in 1926, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd fell into the public domain in 2022, inviting interpretations at no cost. While Mitchell, the theater's artistic director has authored plays before, this is the first time he's attempted to adapt a book to the stage. "It's a whole new animal," he explained. "There's been some rearranging of events, some combinations of characters — because I don't see the need for three inspectors," he joked, noting that "it would be a cast of 57 if you got every character in the book." An editing of excessive dialog, while still leaving in relevant clues to the mystery also played a part in the adaptation.

And of course, that mystery is at the heart of every Agatha Christie work. Her fourth novel to feature the iconic detective Hercule Poirot as the protagonist coming out of retirement, Roger Ackroyd hasn't found a quintessential film adaptation aside from the David Suchet series and the "lost" 1931 film Alibi.

In addition to Poirot (played by Stephen Salchli), characters include Dr. James Sheppard (Dave DiCola), his sister Caroline (Char Newport), Miss Russell (Dorothy Kaliszewski-Sexhauer), Rob Carney as the titular Ackroyd, Cecil Ackroyd (Peggy Brace), Flora Ackroyd (Ciara Adams), Geoffrey Raymond (Soren Levine), Parker the butler (Steve Ropski), Major Blunt (Wayne Gardner), Inspector Davis (Michael Nasca), Ursula Bourne (Violet Vance), and three different roles portrayed by Josh Herrera.

With a spectacular set featuring a revolving stage, and a plot that will keep you guessing until the very end, you'll find out why this work is known as one of the single most important works of the genre.

Feb. 9 through 24 // Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 3 p.m. // All An Act Theatre, 652 W. 17th St. // ​$18, seniors (55+) and students $15, children (6 to 11) $5 // for tickets and more information, go to allanact.net