By Mary Ann Bourbeau
RED BANK – Campbell Scott couldn’t be more thrilled to be portraying the meticulous detective Hercule Poirot in the upcoming Agatha Christie mystery, “Murder on the Links,” at Two River Theater. The Belgian-French accent, the signature waxed mustache – it’s an actor’s dream.
“I just had a couple of mustaches on today,” he said after a recent rehearsal. “Poirot is a bit vain. He likes his mustaches to be perfect.”
“Murder on the Links” is a perfect example of Christie’s knack for intrigue, taking the audience on a journey of twists and turns as the great detective Poirot is summoned to a country chateau in France, where he finds a body on the golf course with a knife in its back. The play kicks off the season at the Two River Theater Sept. 13. It is directed by Darko Tresnjak, winner of the 2014 Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle awards for directing “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder,” starring Jefferson Mays. He won a 2015 Obie Award for directing “The Killer” starring Michael Shannon, and his 2017 production of “Anastasia” ran for two years on Broadway.
“Darko is so smart and imaginative,” said Scott.
Scott’s resume includes film roles (“The Amazing Spider-Man,” “Jurassic World: Dominion”), television (“House of Cards,” “Damages,” “Royal Pains”) and Broadway (“A Christmas Carol,” “Noises Off”), as well as directing (“Big Night”). The son of legendary actors George C. Scott and Colleen Dewhurst, Scott shared the screen alongside his mother (and Julia Roberts) in 1991’s “Dying Young.”
“Both of my parents were actors, but I had no interest,” he said. “I wanted to be a history teacher. I like stories about leaders, politicians, royalty. But I started doing plays in college and realized I wanted to continue.”
The cast includes Tony Award nominee Kate Baldwin (Broadway’s “Finian’s Rain- bow,” “Hello, Dolly!”), María Bilbao (Broad-way’s “Sweeney Todd,” “Tick…Tick… Boom!”), Hiram Delgado (Broadway’s “Take Me Out,” Two River’s “Two Sisters and a Pi- ano”), José Espinosa (Broadway’s “Take Me Out”), Jason O’Connell (Two River’s “Noises Off,” Off-Broadway’s “Prosperous Fools”) and Tony nominee Lauren Worsham (“A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder”). The performance also features the voice of Tony nominee Patrick Page (Broadway’s “Hadestown,” “The Lion King”).
The creative team includes Tony-nominated scenic designer Alexander Dodge; Tony-winning costume designer Jess Goldstein; lighting designer Pablo Santiago; sound designer Megumi Katayama; music supervisor/composer Oran Eldor; wig, hair and makeup designer J. Jared Janas; fight director Gerardo Rodriguez; dialect coach Claudia Hill-Sparks; stage manager Alison Cote and assistant stage manager Mikayla Bettner.
This is Scott’s first appearance at Two River Theater, but he is well acquainted with several people involved in the show. Artistic director Justin Waldman previously directed Scott in a show and they remained friends, and Scott’s wife was in several plays directed by Tresnjak, one that also starred Baldwin.
“When your good friends call you and say you get to play someone as wonderful as Hercule Poirot, you say yes,” said Scott. “Very few regional theaters have the kind of facilities that Two River Theater has. And I very much like Darko’s adaptation. I’m very happy to be at this theater and with this group.”
Agatha Christie wrote her first mystery novel at 26, kicking off a prolific writing career that lasted five decades, with more than 80 novels and short story collections, including “Murder on the Orient Express,” “And Then There Were None” and “Death on the Nile.” Her most famous play, “The Mousetrap,” is the longest-running play in the world and is performed in London’s West End and in other touring locations.
“Murder on the Links” was her second novel featuring Poirot and Scott is confident that audiences will be glued to their seats trying to unravel the murder mystery as it unfolds on stage.
“Christie’s novel is 100 years old, but boy does it hold up,” he said. “It’s an absolute page turner.”
Scott said playing Poirot is a dream role.
“I don’t believe I’ve ever played a detective before, certainly not a super brilliant one like Poirot,” he said. “It really is a joy to play a person who knows more than everyone else. He’s nothing like me.”
“Murder on the Links” runs from Sept. 13 to Oct. 5. Tickets are $25 to $64 and are available by calling 732-345-1400 or visiting tworivertheater.org.
There are also several special events connected with the run:
Sept. 17: Artistic director Waldman will hold a conversation with Darko Tresnjak at 5:45 p.m. at Two River Theater. Coffee and cookies will be served beginning at 5:30. The event is free, with 7 p.m. show tickets sold separately.
Sept. 26: There will be a pre-show Pride Night event at 7 p.m. with cocktails and refreshments. Admission is free, with 8 p.m. show tickets sold separately. Use code PRIDE25 for $25 tickets. This event is at the Victoria J. Mastrobuono Library inside the theater.
Sept. 28: A free film screening of Ag- atha Christie’s “Murder on the Orient Express” at 7 p.m. in the Mastrobuono Library.
Oct. 3: A 1920s Cocktail Night from 6 to 7:45 p.m., where Waldman will mix up some classic 1920s libations. Tickets are $15, with 8 p.m. show tickets sold separately.
The article originally appeared in the September 11 – September 17, 2025 print edition of The Two River Times.
