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AGATHA CHRISTIE’S “MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS” AVAILABLE FOR LISCENSING IN NORTH AMERICA

Press Contact:
Rick Miramontez
rick@omdkc.com
212 695 7400

Concord Theatricals:
Imogen Lloyd Webber
press.theatricals@concord.com
212 598 2265

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, PLEASE

AGATHA CHRISTIE’S
“MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS”

ADAPTED FOR THE STAGE BY KEN LUDWIG
NOW AVAILABLE FOR LICENSING IN NORTH AMERICA THROUGH
SAMUEL FRENCH

New York, NY (September 25, 2019) – Agatha Christie’s Murder On The Orient Express is now available for licensing to both professional and amateur theatres in the United States and Canada through Samuel French, a Concord Theatricals company. Download high res production shot here

Adapted for the stage by two-time Tony nominee and Olivier Award-winning playwright Ken Ludwig, Murder On The Orient Express is based on Agatha Christie’s murder mystery thriller set aboard the Orient Express as it travels from Istanbul to Western Europe in 1934. Detective Hercule Poirot must sort through a train full of suspects who each have their own alibi.

The play was originally staged by McCarter Theater Center, one of the nation’s leading regional theatres, located on the campus of Princeton University. It was directed by Emily Mann and opened on March 17, 2017. The production subsequently transferred to Hartford Stage in Hartford, CT in February 2018.

“It has been a joy to work with Agatha Christie Limited on surely the greatest mystery of all time,” commented Ken Ludwig. “Agatha Christie’s Murder On The Orient Express is a dazzling celebration of two theatrical luminaries and poised to be a sure fire hit on stages across the country for years to come,” said Kim Rogers, Vice President of Amateur Licensing at Concord Theatricals. Added Michelle Yaroshko, Vice President of Professional Licensing at Concord Theatricals: “We are delighted to represent this play, which has the heft of a musical, the glamour of the 1930s and a cast of colorful characters.”

In 2017, a film version was released, directed by Kenneth Branagh with a screenplay by Michael Green, and 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 or to request rights, please contact a Samuel French Licensing Representative at (866)598-8449 or visit samfren.ch/PerformMOTOE.

AGATHA CHRISTIE LTD.

Agatha Christie Limited (ACL) has been managing the literary and media rights to Agatha Christie’s works around the world since 1955, working with the best talents on stage, in film, television, publishing and on digital platforms to ensure that Christie’s work continues to reach new audiences in innovative ways and to the highest standard. The company is managed by Christie’s great grandson James Prichard. Recent theatre collaborations include the critically-acclaimed Witness for the Prosecution at County Hall in London, working with Eleanor Lloyd Productions and Rebecca Stafford Productions, and Murder on the Orient Express adapted by Ken Ludwig, with productions at McCarter Theatre in Princeton and Hartford, Connecticut, USA. ACL also works closely with international theatre companies developing in-territory stage productions. ACL’s recent television projects include the BBC One/Amazon Prime Studios adaptations of The ABC Murders (starring John Malkovich and Rupert Grint) and Ordeal by Innocence (starring Bill Nighy, Anna Chancellor and Matthew Goode), all produced alongside Mammoth Screen with screenplays from Sarah Phelps (Great Expectations The Casual Vacancy). November 2017 saw the release of 20th Century Fox’s feature film adaptation of Agatha Christie’s acclaimed mystery Murder on the Orient Express, directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot and with an all-star cast. A box office hit, Murder on the Orient Express will be followed by a big screen adaptation of Death on the Nile in 2020.

KEN LUDWIG

Ken Ludwig is a two-time Olivier Award-winning playwright whose work is performed throughout the world in more than thirty countries in over twenty languages. He has written twenty-six plays and musicals, with six Broadway productions and seven in London’s West End. His first Broadway play, Lend Me A Tenor, won two Tony Awards and was called “one of the classic comedies of the 20th century” by The Washington Post. He has received commissions from the Royal Shakespeare Company, The Old Globe and the Bristol Old Vic, and he is a Sallie B. Goodman Fellow of the McCarter Theatre in Princeton. His other awards include the Helen Hayes Award, the 2017 Samuel French Award for Sustained Excellence in the American Theatre, the SETC Distinguished Career Award, the Edgar Award for Best Mystery of the Year, and the Edwin Forrest Award for Contributions to the American Theater. His book, How To Teach Your Children Shakespeare, published by Penguin Random House, won the Falstaff Award for Best Shakespeare Book of the Year, and his essays are published by the Yale Review. His plays and musicals include Crazy For You (5 years on Broadway, Tony and Olivier Awards for Best Musical), Moon Over Buffalo (Broadway and West End, starring Carol Burnett, Lynn Redgrave and Joan Collins), The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Broadway starring Kristen Bell), Treasure Island (West End), Twentieth Century (Broadway starring Alec Baldwin), Leading Ladies, The Game’s Afoot, A Fox on the Fairway, The Beaux’ Stratagem, Baskerville, A Comedy of Tenors, Sherwood, The Gods of Comedy and his adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express, written expressly at the request of the Agatha Christie Estate. His newest play, Dear Jack, Dear Louise, will premiere at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. this fall. He holds degrees from Harvard and Cambridge Universities. His plays and musicals are produced somewhere in the United States and abroad every night of the year. See www.kenludwig.com.

SAMUEL FRENCH

Samuel French is the world’s leading publisher and licensor of plays and musicals. The company’s catalog features some of the most acclaimed work ever written for the stage and titles by writers at the forefront of contemporary drama. Samuel French is proud to have served as a leader in theatrical publishing and licensing for over 180 years. In December 2018, Samuel French became part of Concord Theatricals. With a growing staff of unparalleled experts, Concord Theatricals will support and grow Samuel French’s ethos of championing playwrights, innovating in the industry, and celebrating all those who create theatre around the world.

CONCORD THEATRICALS

Concord Theatricals is the world’s most significant theatrical agency, comprised of R&H Theatricals, The Musical Company, Tams-Witmark and Samuel French. Concord Theatricals is the only firm that provides truly comprehensive services to the creators and producers of plays and musicals under a single banner, including theatrical licensing, music publishing, script publishing, cast recording and first class production.

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