Poirot and More, A Retrospective is a theatrical performance in which David Suchet takes a retrospective look at his career, particularly his portrayal of Hercule Poirot. The performance is in the format of an interview on stage, with the interviewer serving to prompt Suchet into recounting various anecdotes. Suchet goes into detail about the craft of acting, using examples from Shakespeare and discusses his portrayal of Poirot and other characters. In the Australian and New Zealand tour, the interviewer was Jane Hutcheon while Geoffrey Wansell was the interviewer for the various UK tours. The show was produced by Liza Mclean, Andrew Kay and Jonathan Church Productions.
The show first launched in Australia in Perth on 18 Jan 2020 and then went on tour over the course of a month to various major cities before moving to New Zealand in Feb 2020. The show premiered in the UK on 5 Oct 2020 at the Watermill Theatre in Newbury and continued for a tour of over 20 theatres. The show opened again at the West End Harold Pinter Theatre in 2022 followed by another run in 2023 at the Hampstead Theatre and a tour of provincial theatres in 2024. A filmed version of the show is also available for streaming at originaltheatre.com.
Highlights[]
- Suchet's early dramatic efforts from childhood and school
- Experience at Lamda
- Experience in Repertory and at the Royal Shakespeare Company
- How he was selected to portray Poirot
- A workshop on understanding Shakespeare
- Finer points of portraying Poirot - his walk, his physical gestures and his voice