Murder On The Orient Express

The set designer and director collaboratively wanted the world of this play to be Art Deco in grayscale. However, personal belongings were permitted to have natural tones of brown, red, and navy. We were also conscious of every bit of red that we put into the show. Agatha Christie’s novels are famous for their red herrings, so we wanted to pay homage. For example, the three red passports of the American passengers not only brought cohesion to their origins but made them look suspicious. 

The secret message trick as described in the script calls for a heat-reactive message. I created a sugar and lemon juice mixture that would react with heat on thin paper so a message would become visible. This idea was cut and traded for small sheets of flash paper that reacted faster and created a bright visual. The spirit lamp mentioned in the script was filled with water to prevent combustibles from getting on stage.