Agatha Christie’s famous Hercule Poirot will be making his debut on the Essanee Theater stage with the opening of the Iberia Performing Arts League production of “Murder on the Orient Express” premiering this week. 

One of Christie’s most famous works, the play follows Poirot as he boards a train from Istanbul to London and must figure out a murder mystery connected to the disappearance of a British colonel. 

Director Lauren Tisdale, who is making her directorial debut at IPAL after years of offstage and onstage volunteering, said she was excited to do the play after spending an afternoon reading it. 

“I had never read Agatha Christie, but I knew she was a murder mystery novelist,” Tisdale said. “So I read the script in an afternoon, and when I finished I just sat there and thought about what I would do in that situation. I thought to myself that I really wanted to do it because I could visualize how to pull this off on the stage.”

The production comes during one of the busiest times of the year, and Tisdale said rehearsals have been a little hectic given the Louisiana Sugar Cane Festival, World Championship Gumbo Cookoff and Beneath the Balconies that have all been occupying downtown New Iberia for the past several weeks. 

To make matters worse, Tisdale said the actor that was chosen to play Hercule Poirot resigned halfway through the production. 

“I had to scramble and within a day I found Trevor Chapman,” Tisdale said. “He’s been on the ball even though he’s had to catch up. He’s really getting there and has only had it for three weeks.”

Finding a set designer in cast member Terry Best and a lack of men showing up to the auditions were other problems that led to a bit of a rollercoaster during the beginning of rehearsals, but Tisdale said she could see the light at the end of the tunnel. 

“We’re really looking good now,” she said. “I’m really excited for people to see the way this is brought to life. I’m so proud of the creative ideas we brought forth to make it look so good, it really adds to the dramatic effect.”

Using inspiration from the 2017 film that also covered the story, Tisdale said using creative ways to give flashbacks and special lighting have made the production something special. 

“I want everyone to leave the show with the same question I was left with after reading, ‘What would you do in that situation?’”

“Murder on the Orient Express” premieres Oct. 18 and runs until Oct. 27. For ticket information, go to ipaltheater.com.