MC theatre department shifts from Clue to Murder on the Orient Express
This semester, MC’s Alpha Psi Omega (APO) Theatre Honors Society was originally set to perform Clue: On Stage by Jonathan Lynn, Hunter Foster, Sandy Rustin and Eric Price. However, due to unforeseen difficulties obtaining the rights to perform Clue, APO was forced to switch gears last-minute and prepare a different show.
APO settled on a production of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express, adapted by Ken Ludwig. With limited time to pick, cast and produce a new show, difficulties arose for all members involved.
Christina Scott Sayer, director of Murder on the Orient Express, expressed how the change affected preparations for the show.
“While it was a little disappointing to have to make the change … we hadn’t had auditions or started rehearsals yet, so we didn’t have to start over on that front,” Sayer said. “When we realized we would have to shift, APO looked at about a half-dozen options and selected Orient Express. Of course, Clue owes a lot to Agatha Christie’s work, so shifting to one of her works felt like the natural and correct choice!”
While the change in production did not have a major impact on actors, Ian Bailey (‘26), a technical theatre major, spent the fall semester designing the Clue set for his senior thesis and had to restart for the new production.
“Luckily, I hadn’t spent any of my budget or built anything yet, but pretty much everything got scrapped when we changed shows,” Bailey said. “If you compared the two designs, you would see some overlap, but this isn’t due to things caring over; it’s just that some designs look similar. I basically pushed Clue out of my mind once we started work on Murder on the Orient Express.”
Bailey discussed how the change from Clue affected his senior thesis, saying, “It has changed my thesis, not the main theme, but the things I write about will be very different. With a new show, you face very different challenges, and that’s the bulk of what I think will make up my thesis. The change has given me something to write about.”
Bailey expressed his gratitude for the support and encouragement that he received through this process.
“Andy Vaught, our advisor, and Christina, our director, were so helpful in this process and kept me calm when I felt like the world was falling apart,” Bailey said. “I probably would’ve given up if it weren’t for their support and sympathy when the show I had wanted to do for four years didn’t happen…they assured me we would figure something out and we would put on a show we were happy with!”
Sayer said that the change allowed the MC Theatre Department’s “spirit of flexibility and intelligent decision making to be on full display,” praising the way APO “worked together to come to a consensus decision, and once the decision was made, it was full steam ahead: pun intended.”
APO’s production of Murder on the Orient Express will be shown in the Clayton Center for the Arts Haslam Family Flexible Theater on Feb. 12 at 7 p.m., Feb. 13 at 7 p.m., Feb. 14 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., and Feb. 15 at 2 p.m.
Madeline Spraul (‘28), Jada Greenle (‘28), Reid Goad (‘28), and Eden Carnes (‘27) pose for a press photo of APO’s production of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express.
Photo courtesy of Maryville College.