Death on the Nile | The Lowry

It's safe to say that if you aren’t of the ilk that Agatha Christie is the undisputed master of crime writing, and in particular the whodunit subgenre of detective fiction, with respect, your overall grasp and comprehension of the genre is woefully incomplete. For over 100 years now, the world has been gripped and pulled in all directions by Christie’s mastery of suspense and character building, and undoubtedly the prolific private detective Hercule Poirot has been her most iconic of characters over the years, combining self-assurance, a biting wit, and supreme intelligence with unmatched resourcefulness, and a distinct understanding of human nature, making him truly one of a kind.

Like with Orient Express, Death on the Nile sees Poirot once again trying to enjoy a holiday abroad, this time in Aswan in Egypt, where he plans to board an Egyptian steamer (transporting an ancient Egyptian artefact from A to B) to make a journey up the river Nile. Once again a grisly murder during the course of his excursion has him abandoning any hope of a relaxing journey, instead jumping into action and doing what he does best, which of course is to get to the bottom of whodunit. Details of all of this though, as with the last Christie work that I reviewed, are a secret best experienced for yourself.

It is clear to see that director Lucy Bailey has relished in staging Ludwig’s adaptations of Christie’s work, following up a terrific theatrical iteration of Murder on the Orient Express, with another top quality production, that thrills us not only visually, with Mike Britton’s sets proving a remarkably characterful backdrop, but in terms of how well the material is conveyed. She never assumes the audience already knows the original story, yet still subtly drops hints here and there, scattering seemingly innocuous clues around, as well as a healthy helping of red herrings. The first act does occasionally feel a touch stagnant, with much of the focus centred around character and lore development, however the eventual payoff for all of that world building justifies this comparatively stately pacing very well.

Taking on the role of the moustachioed Belgian sleuth this time is stage veteran Mark Hadfield, capturing perfectly Poirot’s dry, sardonic demeanour, and carrying the brunt of the action with great humour and high spirits in the face of evident tragedy. The character clearly relishes in any opportunity to display his analytical brilliance, and Hadfield, though occasionally tripping over his words, never loses that marvellous sense of meticulousness or panache with which this role is so synonymous.

Joining him on stage we have Christie's signature blend of contrasting personalities, led by Poirot's close friend Colonel Race (Bob Barrett), also present is the conveniently placed medical student on board (Nicholas Prasad), the ongoing love triangle between a young man (Nye Occomore), his wife (Esme Hough) and his mistress (Libby Alexandra-Cooper), and the wealthy trustee with a shady past (Helen Katamba). The balance between all of these, and the way in which their often banterous yet cynical exchanges play out is masterfully depicted by everyone on stage, and in spite of the distinctive, splendidly juxtaposed range of characters on display, this truly feels like an ensemble piece.

It's during the second act though that things really kick into gear, after we are left at the end of the first half with a cliffhanger, preparing us aptly for the real nitty gritty of Poirot's investigation, and the complex latticework of questioning, forensic evaluation and clue collection has us all scratching our heads and second guessing ourselves right up until the big reveal in the play's gripping climax. Ludwig and Bailey have proven they are an unstoppable pairing when it comes to adapting Christie's work to the stage, this is a stonking production that honours the great author's text, whilst simultaneously enhancing it and bringing it to life magnificently through spectacular creative elevation.

Death on the Nile plays at The Lowry until 04th October 2025.

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★★★★☆ (4*)

Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | Photography by Manuel Harlan