Musical Theatre Ōamaru's (MTO) new show, Mystery on the Orient Express, opens next Thursday (November 28) and it's a rollicking affair guaranteed.

The show is directed by Alan Rakiraki who won best musical direction at the 2023 Otago Southland Theatre Awards (Ostas) for MTO's much lauded production of That Bloody Woman and has been "a musical director for MTO over the years, three or four times".

Mystery on the Orient Express, is a theatre restaurant production with the meal, provided by That Food Guy's Mark Townsend and team, served around the performance.

Alan has a clear appreciation for this form of entertainment, "I've always been involved or tried to be involved in some way in theatre restaurant productions", he says.

"It's usually either being part of a band or musical director."

After being approached by MTO's president Melissa Yockney, he had a look at the plot.

Reading through the script and viewing snippets of various performances online he "thought, well, that's kind of interesting" and "we can make it more accessible... more interactive".

Alan says, "I put my hand up and said... I'd like to actually try to directing the whole thing, because I've got some crazy ideas".

He storyboarded the ideas, discarding the ones that were ultimately too technical or too expensive until deciding, "let's do what I thought could be done but do it much simpler".

Alan explains, "the cast have quite a bit to do with the audience".

With character names such as Holmes, Watson, Marples, Gadget and Pullitoffski to mention a few, the audience can expect a madcap caper from the outset.

Alan says, "I've reimagined the characters in a small way... they're a little more adventurous".

He has walked the tightrope between keeping "faith with your own ideas" and supporting the cast to shine, "I like actors to bring as much to things as they possibly can".

For those people who fear the interactive element he says, "there's kind of like an invitation... nobody's forced to do anything, you know they'll just pass them by and get somebody else".

The show includes some well-known songs and aspects where the audience is invited to actively join in the fun.

"All the instruments are acoustic."

"So, it's kind of like authentic in as much as that's the type of musical instruments there would have been in the time that the production was set, the early to middle twenties", Alan says.

Attendees are invited to "dress to impress with a nod to the 1920s".

Pitched as an ideal end-of-year social event or group night out, tickets are purchased by class (first, second, baggage, no class and 'viewing carriage') starting from $45 for the matinee performance or $75 for the evening shows - meal included.

You can see all the details and purchase tickets here. You can enter to win a double pass to the opening night before Monday November 25 here.