The Columbia Theatre and the Aquila Theatre teamed up to bring Agatha Christie’s “Murder on the Nile” production to Hammond. 

The play will have a few variations from the original, but Executive Director of the Columbia Theatre Roy Blackwood believes that the changes will be received with positive feedback from the patrons. 

“I think that it will be delightful,” said Blackwood. “It’ll be highly entertaining and it will be of high artistic merit. On the other hand, it’s going to be quite humorous and people will enjoy that a lot. There will be twists and quirky things that will come up in ‘Murder on the Nile.’”

The play will be open to the public on Feb. 17 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $40 for loge seats and $26 for balcony seats. 

Blackwood expanded on what audience members can expect from the Aquila Theatre. 

“They should expect a professional level of performance,” said Blackwood. “The Aquila Theatre is one that we have used here at the Columbia Theatre several years. They do familiar names and titles, but they always have a unique twist to the way they present the play.”

Like previous plays, the Aquila Theatre offers unique twists to their performances. 

“One of the twists is that it’s being delivered as an old-time radio show,” said Blackwood. “In the original, Agatha Christie wrote as if a murder had occurred on the Nile River passenger vessel. So, now this is going to be approached in a different way as an old-time radio show.”

The Columbia promises more than one twist to the murder mystery.

“They will go through the mystery, and in the end, there will be a resolution,” said Blackwood. “We won’t reveal that, you’ll have to come and see it. That’s the fun of it, the whodunit part of the whole deal.”

Blackwood encourages patrons to view the play as something that has deeper meanings, which may not be apparent at first sight. 

“I think that’s the value of seeing a play like this more than one time,” said Blackwood. “You get a different take on it each time. It’s not like going to a movie where you see the same thing every time you go. Live performances are simply different than something like a movie.”

Potential audience members are reassured about the quality of the play, backed by Blackwood’s personal recommendation. 

“I’ve dealt with the agent that handles this group for several years now, and I know that I can trust him to bring me a high-quality performance,” said Blackwood. “This one certainly is very, very interesting, and I think that the audience will really love that. I just think it’s the quality of show that I want to present to audiences here in Hammond.”