Playbill UniverseWhat Did Critics Think of the Film Remake of Murder on the Orient Express?The Kenneth Branagh-helmed film, based on the Agatha Christie murder mystery, stars Tony winner Leslie Odom, Jr. and Tony nominee Josh Gad.
By
Ruthie Fierberg
November 10, 2017
Agatha Christie’s murder mystery Murder on the Orient Express comes to life on the big screen in a new adaptation written by Michael Green and directed by Kenneth Branagh (who also stars as leading man Hercule Poirot).
The film remake stars Michelle Pfeiffer, Judi Dench, Willem Dafoe, Penélope Cruz, Derek Jacobi, Daisy Ridley, Johnny Depp, Josh Gad, and Leslie Odom, Jr. as the passengers aboard the titular train—and eventual murder suspects. (The stage version of the Christie tale was recently mounted at New Jersey’s McCarter Theatre, in an adaptation penned by Ken Ludwig. The play will subsequently run February 15–March 18, 2018, at the Hartford Stage.)
After winning the Tony Award for his portrayal of Aaron Burr in Hamilton, the motion picture marks Odom, Jr.’s major film debut. Gad is a Tony nominee for his work in The Book of Mormon, though he lately has been appearing in screen musicals such as Disney’s animated Frozen as Olaf and in the live-action Beauty and the Beast as Lefou. Branagh is an acclaimed theatre director and founded the Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company in London in 2015.
Murder on the Orient Express hits theatres nationwide November 10.
The revue features reconstructions from West Side Story, A Chorus Line, Singin’ in the Rain, and more while celebrating Susan Stroman, Bob Fosse, Michael Bennett, and Billy Wilson.
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