Death on the Nile

Playing November 30 to December 29, 2024

By Agatha Christie
Adapted for the Stage by Ken Ludwig
Directed by Hana S. Sharif

Death on the Nile follows Hercule Poirot, a renowned Belgian detective, who finds himself embroiled in lies and longing while on a luxurious cruise down the Nile River. The tranquil journey takes a sinister turn when a murder is committed among the passengers, throwing the idyllic setting into disarray. With a keen eye for detail and a sharp mind, Poirot takes it upon himself to uncover the truth and expose the perpetrator before they can strike again. As tensions rise and secrets are revealed, Poirot navigates the treacherous waters of deception and intrigue to solve the gripping mystery at hand.

Returning to Arena Stage are cast members Felicia Curry (Broadway’s In the Woods, Arena’s POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive) as Annabelle Pennington, Eric Hissom (The 39 Steps National Tour, Arena’s JQA) as Sir Septimus Troy, Nancy Robinette (Broadway’s Prayer for the French Republic, Arena’s The Heiress) as Salomé Otterbourne, and Sumié Yotsukura (Signature Theatre’s Soft Power, Arena’s Unknown Soldier) as Rosalie Otterbourne.

Making their Arena Stage debuts in Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile are Olivia Cygan (Broadway’s Doubt) as Linnet Ridgeway, Armando Durán (Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s Julius Caesar) as Hercule Poirot, Katie Kleiger (Off-Broadway’s Ring Twice for Miranda) as Jacqueline de Bellefort, Jamil A.C. Mangan (St. Louis Rep’s Murder on the Orient Express) as Colonel Race, Ryan Michael Neely (STC’s Much Ado About Nothing) as Ramses Praed, Robert Santon (Broadway’s Ink) as Atticus Praed, and Travis Van Winkle (Stella Adler Theatre’s Cat On a Hot Tin Roof) as Simon Doyle.

In addition to director Hana S. Sharif, the creative team includes two-time Tony-nominated set designer Alexander Dodge (Broadway’s A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder), costume designer Karen Perry (Broadway’s Lackawanna Blues), Tony-winning lighting designer Kenneth Posner (Broadway’s The Coast of Utopia), sound designers and composers Charles Coes (Broadway’s To Kill a Mockingbird) and Nathan A. Roberts (Off-Broadway’s Golden Shield), projection designer Brittany Bland (Off-Broadway’s Cats: The Jellicle Ball), hair & wig designer LaShawn Melton (Arena’s The Other Americans), fight director Rick Sordelet (Broadway’s Take Me Out), dialect and vocal coach Lisa Nathans (Arena’s Catch Me If You Can), stage manager Christi B. Spann (Arena’s Tempestuous Elements), and assistant stage manager Dayne Sundman (Arena’s Angels in America Part 1: Millennium Approaches). New York casting is by Caparelliotis Casting / David Caparelliotis and Joseph Gery. DC casting is by Raiyon Hunter.

CAST:
Annabelle Pennington: Felicia Curry*
Linnet Ridgeway: Olivia Cygan*
Hercule Poirot: Armando Durán*
Sir Septimus Troy: Eric Hissom*
Jacqueline de Bellefort: Katie Kleiger*
Colonel Race: Jamil A.C. Mangan*
Ramses Praed: Ryan Michael Neely*
Salomé Otterbourne: Nancy Robinette*
Atticus Praed: Robert Stanton*
Simon Doyle: Travis Van Winkle*
Rosalie Otterbourne: Sumié Yotsukura*

CREATIVE:
Playwright: Agatha Christie
Adapted for Stage by: Ken Ludwig
Director: Hana S. Sharif
Set Designer: Alexander Dodge
Costume Designer: Karen Perry
Lighting Designer: Kenneth Posner
Sound Design and Composition: Charles Coes & Nathan A. Roberts
Projection Designer: Brittany Bland
Hair & Wig Designer: LaShawn Melton
Fight Director: Rick Sordelet
Dialect and Vocal Coach: Lisa Nathans
New York Casting: Caparelliotis Casting / David Caparelliotis and Joseph Gery
DC Casting: Raiyon Hunter
Stage Manager: Christi B. Spann*
Assistant Stage: Dayne Sundman*

*Members of Actors’ Equity Association

About Ken Ludwig

Ken Ludwig may well be the most performed playwright of his generation. He has had six productions on Broadway and eight in London’s West End. His 34 plays and musicals are staged around the world and throughout the United States every night of the year. They have been produced in over 20 languages in more than 30 countries, and many have become standards of the American repertoire.

His first play, Lend Me a Tenor, won two Tony Awards and was called “one of the classic comedies of the 20th century” by The Washington Post. Crazy For You was on Broadway for five years, on the West End for three, and won the Tony and Olivier Awards for Best Musical. His adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express is being performed around the world and his musical Crazy For You is currently touring Japan.

In addition, he has won the Edwin Forrest Award for Contributions to the American Theatre, two Laurence Olivier Awards, two Helen Hayes Awards, the Charles MacArthur Award, and the Edgar Award for Best Mystery of the Year. He was also nominated for an Emmy Award for writing the Kennedy Center Honors. His other plays include Moon Over Buffalo; Leading Ladies; Baskerville; Sherwood; Twentieth Century; Dear Jack, Dear Louise; A Fox on the Fairway; A Comedy of Tenors; The Game’s Afoot Shakespeare in Hollywood; and Moriarty. They have starred, among others, Alec Baldwin, Carol Burnett, Tony Shaloub, Joan Collins, and Kristin Bell.

His book How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare, published by Penguin Random House, has been a bestseller and is coming out this year in a new, expanded edition. It won the Falstaff Award for Best Shakespeare Book of the Year. His essays on theatre are published in the Yale Review, and he gives the Annual Ken Ludwig Playwriting Scholarship at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival.

His first opera, Tenor Overboard, opened at the Glimmerglass Festival in July 2022. His most recent world premieres were Lend Me A Soprano and Moriarty, and his newest plays and musicals include Pride and Prejudice Part 2: Napoleon at Pemberley, Lady Molly of Scotland Yard, Beginner’s Luck and Easter Parade.

He has been commissioned to write plays by Agatha Christie Ltd, the Royal Shakespeare Company, The Old Globe Theatre, and the Bristol Old Vic.

For more information visit www.KenLudwig.com