Samuel French Acquires Performance Rights to Ken Ludwig Adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express | Playbill

Industry News Samuel French Acquires Performance Rights to Ken Ludwig Adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express Ludwig’s stage adaptation debuted at the McCarter Theatre Center in 2017.
Allan Corduner with the Company T. Charles Erickson
Samuel French has acquired English-language performance rights in the U.S. and Canada for Ken Ludwig’s stage adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express.

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Ken Ludwig Leslie Cashen
The play, based on Christie's murder mystery thriller set aboard the titular train, debuted at New Jersey's McCarter Theater Center in March 2017. The production subsequently transferred to Connecticut's Hartford Stage in February 2018.

“I’m delighted that Ken Ludwig’s superb adaptation of my great-grandmother’s timeless story is now available to theatre producers across North America, through our partners at Samuel French," James Prichard, executive chairman and CEO of Agatha Christie Ltd., said in a statement. “It is a fantastic complement to the definitive Agatha Christie Collection of plays written by or with the direct involvement of my great grandmother herself.”

“I’m honored that Agatha Christie Limited asked me to write this adaptation for the stage,” added playwright Ludwig, “and I’m delighted that Samuel French is looking after it.”

Murder on the Orient Express combines the talents of two literary giants in the retelling of this masterful mystery,” stated Bruce Lazarus of Samuel French, Inc. “Ken Ludwig’s adaptation captures all the suspense that you expect from well known crime novelist Agatha Christie.”

The 2017 film version of Murder on the Orient Express, directed by Kenneth Branagh with a screenplay by Michael Green, became a box-office hit. The film is the fourth screen adaptation of Christie's novel, following the 1974 film, a 2001 TV film version, and a 2010 episode of the television series Agatha Christie's Poirot.

For more information contact a Samuel French Licensing Representative at (866) 598-8449 or visit samuelfrench.com.


First Look at Max Von Essen and Julie Halston in Murder on the Orient Express

 
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