The Murder of Roger Ackroyd - Masterful Mystery Unfolds at Theatre Forty

If you love a mystery, and I do, you will absolutely LOVE this adaptation of a 1926 Agatha Christie novel, now onstage at Theatre Forty in Beverly Hills.? It’s difficult to condense a carefully plotted 300 page novel, which this is, into a play that can be enjoyed in one sitting, but the forces behind The Murder of Roger Ackroyd,? from adept adapter, Mark Shanahan, to the prolific director, Jule Aaron, and an fulsome cast of Theatre Forty stalwarts, including Artistic Director, ?David Hunt Stafford as Major Blunt, combine to serve up the customary cast of Christie characters who delineate the mystery of wealthy Roger Ackroyd’s murder, which takes place at the beginning of the play.

?We spend the next two hours or more trying to piece together the incriminating details for each person and trying to outdo Inspector Poirot (Michael Mullen) to solve whodunit.? Dr. Shepard (Matt Landig) seems especially helpful, serving as our narrator to move the action along.

Theatre 40s excellent support team has provided the period costuming (Inspector Poirot, doubling as the costume designer), and hair, wigs and make-up (Judi Lewin) to create the right mood, but what doesn’t really work this time is the permanent set, which, sadly fails to jibe with the number of locations that Shanahan’s adaptation calls for.? Director Jules Aaron does his best to delineate the separate scenes, however, with some success.

?Needless to say, the intricate story twists and turns so much that I will not try to untangle it for you.? But there are two more fun-filled weeks more to enjoy the show, so I hope you’ll wend your way to Beverly Hills High School to see for yourself.

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd? continues Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 pm, Sunday at 2 pm and 7 pm, and the following Monday through Saturday at 7:30 and Sunday at 2 pm and 7 pm on December 15th at their Beverly Hills High School location; 241 S. Moreno Dr., Beverly Hills 90212. In addition, Theatre Forty’s next production, Jane Austen in 89 Minutes is scheduled for the Greystone Mansion in January, 2025. For reservations, or subscription information, phone (310) 364-0535 or online at https://theatre40.org. ??

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