Review: Death on the Nile sets sail with European premiere at Nottingham’s Theatre Royal

Agatha Christie’s Nile-steamer whodunnit drops anchor at Nottingham’s Theatre Royal with the European premiere of a new stage production that reunites writer Ken Ludwig and director Lucy Bailey. Following their sell-out tour of Murder on the Orient Express, the pair return to Christie territory with a sleek, suspenseful staging led by Mark Hadfield as Hercule Poirot.

The story is the classic: a glittering Egyptian honeymoon descends into danger when a wealthy heiress, Linnet Ridgeway, is murdered aboard a luxury riverboat, and Poirot must untangle jealousy and betrayal among a shipful of suspects. Hadfield’s Poirot is nimble and warmly engaging, punctuating the evening with wry asides and precise physical detail that keep the detective’s authority intact without dampening the fun.

Glynis Barber delivers a standout turn as Salome Otterbourne, bringing bite and charisma to every entrance. Bob Barrett proves a strong foil as Colonel Race, while the younger principals—Esme Hough as Jacqueline de Bellefort, Nye Occomore as Simon Doyle and Libby Alexandra-Cooper as Linnet Ridgeway—hold their own with finely calibrated performances.

It’s a tight ensemble, rewarded with rapturous applause on the night. Bailey’s production makes atmosphere its ally. An ingenious set, paired with eerie lighting and a tense, insistent soundscape, keeps the riverboat claustrophobic and the stakes high. Even for audiences who arrive knowing “whodunnit”, the pace, presentation and performances give this classic fresh charge.

Death on the Nile is showing at Nottingham’s Theatre Royal until Saturday 18 April.