By Sheila Wickouski
A recent cartoon in the New Yorker magazine shows a Sherlock Holmes character asking a group at a house party when he would be invited for a visit when there was not a murder. This is something that another famous fictional detective, Hercule Poirot, could well ask as he embarks on a luxury cruise that quickly turns into a crime scene in Agatha Christie’s classic mystery Death on the Nile.
The original novel has undergone many adaptations since its original publication in 1937. It has been a stage play, a live television show, a television series and a radio series, as well as feature films with stars like Kenneth Branagh, Bette Davis, Mia Farrow, Maggie Smith and others.
Beginning November 23, Arena Stage offers a gift for the holiday season – the world premiere of a fresh, musical adaptation of the classic story by award-winning playwright Ken Ludwig, directed by Arena Stage Artistic Director Hana S. Sharif. The production will run through December 29.
The cast and crew of Death on the Nile include familiar favorites in Washington (Felicia Curry and Nancy Robinette) as well as those making their Arena Stage debuts, plus many award winners and an outstanding production team.
Ahead of the show’s opening, The Southwester talked with two-time Tony-nominated set designer Alexander Dodge, in hopes of gleaning some clues to help unravel the show’s mystery. The interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
The Southwester: Reviewers have said that your work balances “analytical, architectural thinking with an almost boundless sense of imagination, aesthetic maturity and understanding of theatre” — all qualities needed in a good detective. You have had some experience setting murder scenes before in Broadway’s A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder. Can you describe your artistic thought process when working on such productions? Any secrets you can share about how you use a set to hide clues?
Alexander Dodge: Getting to design for a murder mystery can be very gratifying. The stories, not always, but frequently, tend to take place in overwrought, over-the-top-environments. Elaborate wood paneling, abundant plush furniture and beautiful art objects offer ample opportunity to hide clues and evidence. The set can also serve as an intricate frame around a cast sporting gorgeous period costumes. This is a case where more is actually more.
SW: Someone who has been both an actress and a set designer told me that “the set is a character.” Any comment on that phrase and how that mindset is applied to your own work, especially in a play about a murder solving detective where there are secrets and clues to be uncovered?
AD: I find this almost always to be true. Depending on the piece, the set as a character can take on different levels of importance. In this instance the sets play a key character in the story that also contributes to unlocking the solution to the crime. There is a sumptuousness and extravagance to these environments the actors inhabit. They advance the plot and help direct the action.
SW: What is special about a stage setting built to reveal clues in comparison to film or TV where things might be easier to hide?
AD: On stage there is no computer generated imagery. Everything has to be right there in front of the audience. This presents a challenge, but as an audience member I find it so exciting to be in the actual room where something is going down. One of the things I love about theatre is the fact that you can still make the audience believe, even with the simplest of stage tricks. Indeed some of the methods we still employ have been around for centuries, and yet they still have the power to astound and amuse.
SW: You also design for the Metropolitan Opera? Anything to share about that experience and how your career path led you to such an iconic institution?
AD: Getting to design at the Metropolitan Opera was certainly one of the most thrilling artistic opportunities I have had in my career so far. Designing on a scale that epic was incredibly exciting. The timeline for working on an opera is much expanded to what is common in theatre. Operas are scheduled years in advance, however, because most opera houses perform in repertory, the time you get to have on stage is very limited. There are no previews to try things out. There are a few days of technical rehearsals, one or two rehearsals with the orchestra and then opening night. It can be nerve racking, but ultimately exhilarating.