Diego Fraustro portrays Michel the Conductor in the Stagecrafters production of “Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express.”
By: Taylor Christensen | Royal Oak Review | Published January 20, 2026
ROYAL OAK — “Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express” is coming to the Baldwin Theatre Feb. 13 through March 1.
The story takes place on the Orient Express train, when just after midnight, a snowdrift stops the Orient Express in its tracks. During the night there is a murder, causing the train to be filled with fear that anybody could have done it.
The passengers rely on detective Hercule Poirot to identify the murderer, in case he or she decides to strike again.
Kerry Milliron plays Monsieur Bouc, a key character in the story. Bouc is the well-known, gregarious Belgian director of the Orient Express and an old friend of Poirot who helps Poirot with the investigation.
“He (Bouc) is a dedicated professional, a great handler of the clients, the wealthy clients who travel the train,” Milliron said. “He talks about the beauty of the train, the magnificence of the paneling and the plates. It’s like he's talking about himself. … He’s friends with Poirot; they have known each other for some time. So, when they meet and get to work together on this, he is thrilled that this unprecedented thing that happened on his train at least happened when Poirot was there.”
Milliron said he was thrilled to play any role in the play, as each character is so interesting in their own quirky way.
“In fact, one of the things that the book says is, one of the passengers on the train says this to Poirot, he says, ‘Oh, they are all characters, my friend,’” he said.
Milliron hopes that when the audience comes to see the show, people are captivated by the characters.
“I want the night to go fast, and for them to wish they could spend another couple hours with these fascinating, crazy characters,” he said.
Director Leta Chrisman said that the story is a classic, and the way that the cast and production team pulls the show together is seamless.
“I have an incredibly talented cast, and we have had a lot of fun,” Chrisman said. “These characters are insane. So, being able to build this group of people together, it's very much an ensemble show, which is my personal favorite, because everybody is an integral piece of the story.”
The show has a lot of interesting storylines, according to Chrisman, and it's hard to tell the story without spoiling key plot points.
“It’s called the ‘Murder on the Orient Express,’ so obviously we get a murder. I’m not going to say anything more, but there’s a muder that happened,” she said. “But watching Poirot do his full detective thing and question people and examine evidence and eventually solve the crime with this ridiculous cast of characters, it’s a really compelling story.”
Chrisman said that the set of the show is an exciting aspect of the whole production. She said they made sure to create a set that captures the essence of being on a train.
“Instead of big, wide-open spaces where everybody can roam around, we’re really kind of creating that sense of we are in a train car, and all of these people are kind of in a very tight, confined space,” she said. “Part of the fun for us and the creation process was working with some of these amazing builders that we have that work with Stagecrafters, and just seeing if we can make a train, and can we make it feel like a train without losing the ability for theatricality."
Tickets on Thursdays cost $25 with a $3 per ticket fee. On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, the tickets cost $35 plus a $3 ticket fee.
For tickets and more information, visit stagecrafters.org.