Theatre in the Round Director Linda Paulsen Provides Insight to the World Premiere of The Mysterious Affair at Styles

Article by Becky Fillinger

Kate Danley’s adaptation of the Agatha Christie’s novel The Mysterious Affair at Styles, will premiere at Theater in the Round (TRP) November 18-December 18. We talked to Director Linda Paulsen about the enduring legacy of Mrs. Christie, casting Hercule Poirot and how to purchase tickets to the annual holiday mystery show.

Linda PaulsonQ:  Agatha Christie wrote her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, over a century ago. Since that first novel, she wrote 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, as well as the world’s longest-running play – The Mousetrap. Her books have sold over a billion copies in the English language and a billion in translation, in fact she’s the best-selling novelist of all time. Why do you think we remain interested in her works?

A:  Mrs. Christie loved to put a spin on her characters, to turn a good guy into a bad guy or to vindicate a supposed villain; to lead her readers and audiences down many avenues, but always to the final and just result. We know she will try to fool us, but, in the end, we will be rewarded with who did it. But more important than who, is how it was done, as audiences will discover in The Mysterious Affair at Styles.

Q:  Hercule Poirot was introduced in Styles.  So many leading men have portrayed the iconic detective. Who will play Poirot in your adaptation, and can you share why he was cast in the role?

Ben TallenA:  More than 30 well-known actors, and countless hometown favorites have played Hercule Poirot. So, his look is as varied as the cases he investigates. But his manner is as consistent as crime itself. In casting Poirot, I wanted an actor who could relate to Lt. Arthur Hastings, his unlikely partner in this investigation, and who could carry this well-known role without simply copying what others have done. After all, this was Christie’s introduction of her famous detective and as such she is setting the bar for all others to follow. 

Ben Tallen is playing Hercule Poirot in this production. Any actor playing this well-known character is challenged to mimic the familiar traits all the while attempting to make his mark in their performance. Ben brings humor and warmth, intelligence, and humanity to this now very familiar character of Agatha Christie’s. Audiences have grown used to many versions of this character and the actor’s challenge, among others, is to make his audience focus more on his method of crime solving.

Q:  How many actors will be in your production? Will they play multiple roles?

A:  This adaptation, which is having its world premiere on TRP’s arena stage, has a cast of 12. Kate Danley offered me options for doubling in her adaptation, but TRP has a history of excellent turnout at auditions, and I had over 70 actors to choose from during a two-day audition process. Auditions at TRP are open to all, allowing directors to offer roles to veteran actors as well as newcomers. This cast of 12 includes seven actors who are new to TRP and our arena stage!

Q:  A commenter in The British Weekly in 1921 noted that Styles was “well written, well-proportioned and full of surprises.”  Will your production keep us guessing the murderer’s identity until the end of the play?

A:  Another commented on Mrs. Christie’s use of so many clues (red herrings) as to keep the reader guessing until the very end. And she does not disappoint in Styles, taking her readers, or audience in this case, to many locations that may (or may not) have importance. So much so that she even included a layout (in her book) of the rooms at this country estate, Styles Court, to give a better perspective when moments occurred in different parts of the house! The numerous locales meant I needed to distill locations, inside or away from the manor, into what our arena stage could portray and what it does best – putting our audience so close to the clues, the suspects, even the victim.

Q:  What’s next for you after Styles? How may we follow your news?

A:  I started last April, managing the workshops of this adaptation of Christie’s first book, and to work with Kate Danley as she prepared her script for the stage and for TRP’s 71st Season.

We are planning a talkback with the cast and playwright on Friday, December 16 after the show and are also working on scheduling a panel with the local chapter of Sisters in Crime about the staying power of mystery and female-identifying authors’ influence on the genre. The date for that panel is still TBD.

Working on new works and with playwrights is a part of our mission as a theatre that serves a diverse community. Watch for more on this unique arena stage. Follow us at our website and on Facebook. Purchase tickets for the show here.