Agatha Christie's Most Prolific Stage Actor? Interview with Lee Samuel Tanng
Feb 17, 2024
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Actor Lee Samuel Tanng discusses his experience in regional theater, challenges of staging Agatha Christie plays, ranking his favorite roles, and the uniqueness of live Christie theater. They explore the nuances of adapting Christie's works for the stage and share humorous incidents during performances.
Regional theater offers unique challenges and joys for actors like Lee Samuel Tanng.
Different Agatha Christie plays vary in their execution and reception among audiences.
Actors face personal challenges and highlights when performing in Agatha Christie plays.
Deep dives
Number 10: Black Coffee
Black Coffee ranked lowest due to the writing and overall enjoyment of the play.
Number 9: Murder on the Nile
Murder on the Nile scored low due to its staging and reception from the audience.
Number 8: A Murder is Announced
A Murder is Announced had a lower score due to its lengthy explanations and writing.
Number 7: Spider's Web
Spider's Web scored higher due to its classic Agatha Christie vibe and lightheartedness.
Summary of The Unexpected Guest
The Unexpected Guest is ranked number six in the podcast episode. The guest describes the play as their biggest role to date and highlights the anxiety they felt about memorizing their lines. They also mention a memorable moment when a cell phone went off during a performance. The play features a fog machine, but the fog did not always work as intended. The guest acknowledges a problematic depiction in the play involving a character with mental incapacity. Despite this, the guest believes the actor's portrayal made the character lovable.
Summary of Towards Zero
Towards Zero is tied for the number five spot in the podcast episode. The guest recalls a particularly violent scene in the play where the killer returns to attack one of the main characters. They explain that the fight scene was intense and unexpected, but also acknowledged that the script only mentioned a scuffle. The guest felt it added a level of fear and intensity to the Agatha Christie play. The podcast episode also touches upon the depiction of a character with developmental disabilities in the play, which some find problematic. The guest praises the actor's portrayal, making the character lovable and challenging stereotypes.
Actor Lee Samuel Tanng has appeared in TEN (!!) regional productions of plays based on Agatha Christie novels over the last eleven years. He sat down with me to discuss the joys of regional theater, the particular challenges (and advantages) of pulling off a murder mystery in real time, and of course, to rank his ten experiences from least to most favorite. This conversation was a blast.
You can see a collage of all Sam's roles on the podcast's Twitter/X account here, and on Instagram here.
Check out the Long Beach Playhouse here, which is where Sam has appeared in all these wonderful productions over the years. Long live regional theater!
Please visit and suscribe to the podcast's Patreon page here.
Click here for more information on upcoming book tour events for my debut mystery novel, The Busy Body.