Two beloved Agatha Christie characters, Tommy and Tuppence, have a mystery to solve in “The Secret Council” Jan. 26-Feb. 27 at First Folio Theatre in Oak Brook.
Andrés Enriquez and Melanie Keller play the longtime friends and novice detectives in Executive Director David Rice’s adaptation of “The Secret Adversary.” Brigitte Ditmars directs this thriller in which England is under attack by enemies who seek to destroy the country’s freedom.
Performances are 8 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays, 3 p.m. Thursdays and Sundays, and 4 p.m. Saturdays. Consult website as the schedule varies.
“This is my first experience with Agatha Christie in any form,” said Enriquez, “but I’m a big fan of mysteries in general.”
The actor was drawn to this part because “I love the dynamic between the two. I did a reading of this play about a year ago and played the role of Tommy. I thought it was really funny and really witty but also had this suspense.”
Enriquez also praised the adaptation with its “modern sensibilities” and the strengthening of the character of Tuppence.
The actor described his character as “very witty, very sharp and he has this excellent back-and-forth rapport with Tuppence. But it’s described in other scenes that he used to be somewhat of a wild card as a soldier during the Great War. It’s described that he was the kind of soldier that would either win the Victoria Cross or get himself hanged.”
Enriquez said he is enjoying playing Tommy because of his wit. “His wit and his charm sort of act as a mask,” the actor said. “I think it’s very interesting when a character is complex enough to have something going on completely different on the outside than what’s going on inside.”
Unlike her acting partner, Keller is a big fan of Agatha Christie mysteries. “I love her characters. They’re so delicious and fun,” she said.
Keller described Tuppence as “smart and quippy. There’s a lot of action and a lot of things that are brewing around her and yet she keeps her head about her at all times.”
Keller praised Rice’s ability to distill the very complicated novel into the clear storyline and interesting characters.
The actor is enjoying playing Tuppence because “she’s so capable,” Keller said. “She really sees the chess pieces. She sees many, many moves ahead. And she can make a joke while taking down a full-grown man.”
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The role has its challenges, though, Keller said, noting that she has to use a number of dialects and participate in stage combat.
“And” she added, “I have to learn how to flip a coin onstage, which is something I’ve never done before.”
Rice joked that he created this adaptation of the Agatha Christie work “because it was available and in the public domain.” In addition, he said, “I was looking to write a fun mystery for First Folio and the Agatha Christie mysteries sell quite well for every theater.”
One problem with her mysteries, though, is that they tend to have very large casts, Rice said.
“I began reading ‘The Secret Adversary,'” he related. “There were a lot of things I liked about it. A lot of things I found problematic. The more I noodled it around, the more I thought, ‘I can pull out the thread of what I need and adjust everything else to make it for a cast of six.”
Another problem that Rice addressed in creating this adaptation was updating the script “for a 21st century audience. I have made some significant changes in the manner of certain characters to add a 21st century sensibility, especially to the female characters.”
One of those changes altered Tuppence who is originally conceived as weaker and less intelligent than Tommy.
“I have always enjoyed in my adaptations finding ways to make the woman at least the equal of the male characters if not superior,” Rice revealed.
Enriquez and Keller are the only cast members that play just one role. Multiple roles are performed by the other four cast members — Joe Foust, Elizabeth Ledo, James Lewis, and Tina Munoz Pañdya.
“The other four actors all play at least three different characters,” Rice said. “That’s part of the fun of this adaptation. Another part of the fun is watching them do the scene changes. This is a show that is nonstop movement.”
“I think it’s the right piece for this time,” Keller said. “It’s the right blend of comedy, adventure, and mystery.”
‘The Secret Council’
When: Jan. 29-Feb. 27; previews Jan. 26-28
Where: First Folio Theatre, Mayslake Peabody Estate, 31st Street and Route 83, Oak Brook
Tickets: $49-$59; $44 seniors on Wednesdays and Thursdays; $20 students; $29 previews
Information: 630-986-8067; firstfolio.org/?production=agatha-christies-the-secret-council
Myrna Petlicki is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.