Review: Murder on the Nile in Cape Town, holds attention from start to finish

Agatha Christie’s play Murder on the Nile is on in Cape Town at the Masque from August 21-31, 2024, directed by Barbara Basel. The production held my attention from start to finish. Some accents were uneven on the night that I saw it. There was some fluffing of lines. I couldn’t hear all of the actors at all times but hopefully their projection will improve with the season. It is a play with a lot of dialogue to remember. It started at 7.30pm and curtain came down at 10.20 so it’s a long play but my attention did not lag as I became immersed in the narrative and Christie’s dialogue which is dripping with sarcasm, witticisms and humour. The whodunit part takes a while to happen. This is Agatha Christie’s choice in making us wait and not anything to do with the production. The play is the play.

Murder on the Nile is classic Agatha Christie with twists and red herrings.  We see Kay (Lara Serene Fouche) and Simon (Timothy Wolfaardt) on their honeymoon on a cruise in Egypt.  They are being stalked by Jackie (Sarah-Kate Bergstedt) – the ex-fiancé of Simon and Kay’s former bestie. It’s complicated. An intriguing psychological thriller is juxtaposed with murder. What brought these dudes to this cruise and how do they all connect with each other? The power of this production for me is the layering of the psychological intrigue and unpacking the considerable baggage which most of the characters schlep along with them. They are all hung up about class and identity. In a sense the murder is almost secondary to this play and shenanigans between the protagonists is what drives the play. Barbara Basel brings in delicious physical comedy – for example the doctor Dr Ludwig Bessner (fab accent by Kendal Conradie) bandages an injured leg – on the trouser and not on the flesh. There is wonderful clowning with injured and dead bodies being dragged across the stage. I am not going to plot spoil so I will leave at that.

The play is set in 1947 and although there are references to the time, the look of the play veers towards vintage chic which could be anytime. Award winning Nicky Enticott has dressed the cast beautifully. They start off in summer holiday gear – smart-casual and smarten up into snazzy evening wear. I loved the red dress of the femme fatale celebrity Kay Ridgeway (Lara Serene Fouche). As the night progresses, we see them reclining in their sleep wear as everything unravels.

The protagonists become ratty and jittery as they all come under suspicion of whodunit. Kay (Lara Serene Fouche) and Jackie (Sarah-Kate Bergstedt) are spirited as they engage with each other – sizing each up and the rather suggestible Simon (Timothy Wolfaardt) who comes across the opportunistic wimpish stud. Bergstedt is a knockout as Jackie- a stunning performance. She is a newcomer to the Masque and I hope to see on stage again. She did not miss a beat in terms of accent, lines and characterisation. Wayne Ronné exerts a strong presence as the transactional and pompous Canon Pennefather. He is a clergyman and is Kay’s guardian. He had control of her money before she got married and what happens now? Watch the play and find out as he puts himself forward in the role of detective, piecing the clues together.

Su Cunningham is a hoot as the snobby narcissistic entitled Helen ffoliot-ffoulkes. I loved the fabulous Nawaal Howa as the lounge singer. She is the entertainer on board and sings two elegiac and wistful songs: Stormy Weather and Frankie and Johnnie, amplifying the angst of Jackie, trying to hold it together. I also enjoyed the belly dancers (Zia Kingwell-Cloete and Julia Nowichi), feeding into the “exotic” vibe of this cruise. Get there early and watch them do a pre-show dance in the foyer. It adds to the sense of being immersed in the journey of Murder on the Nile. Congrats to Barbara Basel, the cast and creative team (lovely set, props, sound design) in bringing us this delightful Murder on the Nile which as I said held my attention from start to finish.

✳ Featured image: Sfiso Nkosi and Christine Swanepoel in Murder on the Nile, the Masque, Cape Town, August 21-31, 2024. Photo by Faeron Wheeler.