On Oct. 27, a three person performance of Agatha Christie’s “Murder on the Nile” was hosted at the Rozsa center for the pleasure of the general public and Michigan Tech students alike. The three actors who played more than a dozen different characters on stage are Palmya Mattner, Toby Miller and Lincoln Hudson.
In regard to traveling with the Aquila Theatre, Mattner said: “I enjoy touring the country after spending three years in a drama school in New York.” Miller looks forward to audiences with different expectations to the more critic populated audiences he usually sees in New York. Miller also mentioned that the small cast allows him to play roles that would usually be unavailable to him. This is great for him, as Miller states, “I come alive when I play a character.”
The play starts during the London Blitz in a BBC radio station with a couple of voice actors (played by Matner and Miller) arriving early to prepare for a radio play of Agatha Christie’s “Murder on the Nile.” Their preparations are interrupted by the blare of air raid sirens going off in the distance, followed shortly by the booming of bombs detonating far off. After huddling together in a hope of safety, the two realize that they will be the only ones performing as the other voice actors have been cut off from the studio by the sudden bombing.
Hilarity ensues as they both realize the studio has begun broadcasting, forcing them to start playing all the different roles. Soon after they go on air, a maid (played by Lincoln) comes in only to be roped into the play as another voice actor. As the play progresses, the cast is slowly enveloped into the play so that they can forget about the harshness of the Blitz; that is until they are ripped away by the occasional blaring of alarms or explosions of bombs or having to don a gas mask while still in character. That isn’t to say the play is dark, as it is chocked full of humor and lightheartedness despite the seriousness of murder. The play is even interrupted with the occasional musical performances where the cast play more modern music whilst still keeping with the Egyptian theme, such as “Walk like an Egyptian.” The performance was fun for everyone while capturing the attention of the audience until the very end.
