Actor Robert Powell will take to the stage at Billingham Forum Theatre next month as Hercule Poirot in Agatha Christie's Black Coffee
An esteemed actor most famous for playing Jesus Christ is heading to Teesside in his latest role.
Actor Robert Powell will take to the stage at Billingham Forum Theatre next month where he will bring to life Agatha Christie’s great detective Hercule Poirot.
Best known for his title role in 1977 film Jesus of Nazareth, for which he received a Bafta nomination, the 69-year-old is well known among drama and comedy fans, having starred alongside comedian Jasper Carrott in 1990s sitcom The Detectives and most recently appearing in the BBC’s medical drama Holby City.
Now in his latest role on stage, Robert will return to life as a detective – albeit a very different one – to play the eponymous Poirot in the first play Agatha Christie wrote, Black Coffee.
After his debut in novel The Mysterious Affair at Styles, the Belgian investigator went on to become one of world’s most cherished fictional characters, appearing in 33 novels, one play – Black Coffee – and more than 50 short stories published between 1920 and 1975.
To this day he remains the only fictitious character to receive a front-page obituary in the New York Times.
Robert, who has been touring in the role since January, said: “It’s great fun to play the character. I’d never read an Agatha Christie novel before. I’ve read the play now of course. It’s the only play where Poirot is the protagonist so it’s interesting.”
“Poirot in the play is rather different in some ways to the TV version people are used to.
“Christie wrote it herself so it’s the character she meant him to be. He’s not quite as glum as the one on TV.”
The story is set around the murder of eccentric inventor Sir Claud Amory and the theft of his new earth-shattering formula, which throws a quintessential English country estate into chaos.
The production is by Bill Kenwright and the Agatha Christie Theatre Company.
Robert added: “I have no preference between TV or theatre, though theatre is 10 times harder than TV. It’s eight shows a week and you only get one day off which isn’t very much.
“For me this time it’s only until the end of May but for some of the others it’s a longer stint. Also you’re away from home and travelling a lot; we’re in a different place each week; so it’s tough.
“It has its benefits though. It’s been packed houses. It’s a compliment to our show that it’s such a success and it shows the support of the audience is pretty high.”
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