With 15 characters, 22 scenes and a multitude of locations, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd could easily become unwieldy. Instead, director Ali Bendall steers Agatha Christie’s intricate mystery with confidence, keeping the audience front-of-mind.

Credited as one of the world’s greatest crime writers, Christie was meticulous in constructing her plot puzzles. While the narrative can occasionally be tricky to follow, Bendall keeps the audience engaged, steadily building suspense toward the final reveal.

Adapted by Philip Grecian, the production features a narrator who addresses the audience directly, with Bendall making clever use of one of the show’s key props: the dictaphone. Grecian’s adaptation moves at pace and draws the audience into its complicity—exactly what Bendall intended: “The story works best when everyone feels engaged in the puzzle, weighing up the suspects, spotting the clues and second-guessing themselves as the investigation progresses”.

At the centre of the mystery is Hercule Poirot (Peter David Allison), Christie’s beloved detective, retired to the English countryside until the murder of wealthy local Roger Ackroyd brings him into the investigation. Allison conveys Poirot’s wit and softly condescending charm with assurance. His quiet, proper demeanour carries authority, so that when he demands action, everyone falls into line.

Roslyn Hicks, as Caroline, captures the town gossip with genuine excitement and vivacity. Sharply observant, she announces that “something is afoot” before exiting with a playful kick of her back foot, eager to be part of solving the mystery. Hicks also excels in delivering Christie’s style of rapid-fire dialogue with precision.

Nathan Moss portrays a steady performance as Dr Sheppard, Poirot’s Watson-like companion, providing calm assistance as the investigation unfolds. Christie’s writing leans into comedy through moments of absurdity, particularly via the somewhat bumbling Inspector Raglan (David Stewart Hunter), whose handling of the murder weapon cannot be relied upon.

The supporting cast includes: Peter Hoekstra-Bass (John Parker), Rod Stewart (Special Agent), Jen Manoogian (Flora Ackroyd), Simon Pearce (Major Pearce), Harry Charlesworth (Geoffrey Raymond), Jane Thorpe (Elizabeth Russell), Julie Mathers (Mrs Ackroyd), Natalie Hughes (Ursula Bourne) and Oscar Baird (Charles Kent and Ralph).

Cian Byrne’s lighting design enhances the moodiness of confessions and revelations with soft spotlighting that follows Poirot’s dramatic unravelling of events. Bendall further breaks the divide between stage and audience, using theatre exit doors as play space and positioning characters close to the seated audience, reinforcing the sense of shared investigation.

The set design anchors the action in its era, with a green curtain, dictaphone and tea trolley evoking Christie’s world. Susan Carveth’s costume design is a delight, particularly the women’s fashion, with young Miss Ackroyd’s glamourous 1920’s low-waisted pink dress and headpiece standing out.

Dame Christie is widely regarded as the best-selling novelist of all time. According to Guinness World Records, her works have sold more than two billion copies worldwide, and she remains the top-selling fiction author credited as a single individual, a legacy Bendall taps into as she describes the show is “a chance to escape, to go back in time and to enjoy, laugh and have a nice time at the theatre.”

When Mrs Ackroyd exclaims, “Oh, this is ridiculous, just tell us who the murderer is, she echoes the collective impatience of the audience fully invested in the guessing game, as evidenced by the animated conversations overhead during intermission.

There’s much deducing and supposing, and a cast of characters each harbouring secrets, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd keeps curiosity alive until the very end, inviting the audience to weigh up every suspect, and trust no one.

4 stars

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is playing at Genesian Theatre Company in Rozelle, Sydney until 28 February 2026. For tickets visit Genesian Theatre Company