(PRINCETON, NJ) -- McCarter Theatre Center presents Mrs. Christie, a witty new comedy-mystery by Heidi Armbruster, from May 6–31, 2026. The production is directed by BOLD Associate Artistic Director Donya K. Washington in her McCarter directorial debut.
Mrs. Christie is a play that celebrates writers, womanhood, and the stories that shape our lives. In 1926, famed author Agatha Christie vanished for 11 days, reappearing without explanation. The real-life case of the “Missing Mrs. Christie” became a tabloid sensation, though the circumstances behind her disappearance remain unclear. Nearly 100 years later, a devoted superfan uncovers clues that may finally crack the case, launching a coming-of-age journey of memory and self-discovery with the suspense and delight of a classic mystery.
2026 marks 50 years since Christie’s passing at age 85. The best-selling novelist of all time, her work has been translated into more than 100 languages and adapted countless times for stage, film, and television. Her enduring influence on crime and detective fiction continues to shape writers and audiences worldwide.
(left to right, starting with back row) Donya K. Washington (director), Polly Lee, Cameron Knight, Patrese D. McClain), Christina Clark, Jeremy Gallardo, Heidi Armbruster (playwright), Gina Daniels, Amber Walker and Evan Zes. Photo by Charles Phox
Tickets are available for purchase online, by calling Patron Services at (609) 258-2787, or in person at the McCarter Theatre Center Box Office, 91 University Place, in Princeton, New Jersey.
Director Donya K. Washington, McCarter’s BOLD Associate Artistic Director, makes her McCarter directorial debut with Mrs. Christie. She has directed at People’s Light, Actors Express, Old Globe, Alliance Theatre, Target Margin, and others. Prior to joining McCarter, she served as Repertory Producer at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
McCarter Artistic Director Sarah Rasmussen said, “Heidi Armbruster’s play is a gift for Agatha Christie and mystery fans alike, and Donya is very much in the superfan category. Her enthusiasm for this play and for Christie’s legacy are detectable throughout the production.”
Playwright Heidi Armbruster has developed and produced work at the Dorset Theatre Festival, PlayMakers Repertory Company, Chautauqua Theater Company, Primary Stages, Orchard Project, Playhouse on Park, The Lark, Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, and more. She was a member of the Working Farm at Space on Ryder Farm, Page 73’s Interstate 73 Writers Group, and is a founding member of Women Artists Writing. As an actor, Armbruster has extensive theater, film, and television credits.
The cast is led by Christiana Clark in the title role, making her McCarter debut following work on Broadway and at leading regional theaters including Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Berkeley Repertory Theatre.
The ensemble also features Evan Zes, previously seen at McCarter in Murder on the Orient Express and on Broadway in The Kite Runner; Patrese D. McClain, making her McCarter debut with credits including The Old Globe, Actors Theatre of Louisville, and the national tour of Jitney; and Amber Walker, a New Jersey native based in Ewing, making her McCarter debut. Walker holds an MFA from the University of Washington’s Professional Actor Training Program and has performed extensively in Seattle and Portland.
The cast also includes familiar McCarter faces from McCarter’s A Christmas Carol: Polly Lee, Gina Daniels, and Cameron Knight, who played Ebenezer Scrooge in the 2025 production.
Polly Lee made her professional stage debut at McCarter in Candida (2004) and has since appeared at the Wilma Theater, Actors Theatre of Louisville, La Jolla Playhouse, American Repertory Theater, Yale Repertory Theatre, and the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, among others. She is also an award-winning audiobook narrator with more than 200 titles.
Cameron Knight is an Associate Professor and Head of Acting at Rutgers University. His theater credits include Teatro Vista, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Texas Shakespeare Festival, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, Richmond Shakespeare Festival, Michigan Shakespeare Festival, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, and the Kennedy Center.
Gina Daniels has appeared on Broadway in Network and All the Way. Her extensive theater credits include Park Avenue Armory, Classic Stage Company, Mint Theater, New World Stages, Paper Mill Playhouse, The Old Globe, Studio Theatre, Arena Stage, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, and ten seasons at Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
Understudies include Alex Brightwell, Ian Coulter-Buford, Ryann Myers, Anya Pearson, and Tai Ariel Verley.
The creative team includes scenic and costume designer Lex Liang; lighting designer Amina Alexander; sound designer and composer T. Carlis Roberts; and hair, wig, and makeup designer Kevin Foster.
They are joined by dramaturg Julie Felise Dubiner; assistant director Natasha Gallop; voice and text director Hannah Tamminen; fight directors David Anzuelo and Sean Fletcher Griffin; intimacy director Laura Hackman; and casting by The Telsey Office/Karyn Casl, CSA, Casting Director.
Associate designers include Jackie Fox and Sarah Karl (associate scenic designers), and Cameron Filepas (associate lighting designer). The stage management team includes Alison Cote (production stage manager), Alexandria Griner (assistant stage manager), and Chloe Meyer (production assistant).
McCarter is one of the country’s flagship theaters and a vibrant center for community and the performing arts. Located on the campus of Princeton University, the company is an independent nonprofit, serving as a nationally renowned, multi-disciplinary creative hub for arts and ideas, offering theatre, music, dance, spoken word, and educational programs for all ages. A two-time Tony Award winner, McCarter’s legacy of artistic excellence dates back to the theatre’s first performances in 1930. Thornton Wilder’s Our Town, Kaufmann & Hart’s You Can’t Take It with You, and William Inge’s Bus Stop all had their premieres on the McCarter stage, paving the way for a long history of collaborations with playwrights to launch remarkable works that have gone on to tens of thousands of performances, reaching millions of audience members around the world.
The company is equally revered for presenting global artists on its stages, including Alvin Ailey, Yo-Yo Ma, Samara Joy, Hasan Minhaj, Jon Stewart, Caetano Veloso, Rhiannon Giddens, Patti Smith, Esperanza Spalding, Lake Street Dive, and Herbie Hancock, among many others. Of the 100,000 community members who directly participate in the company’s work every year, more than 5,000 are students taking part in McCarter’s robust educational offerings in Princeton, Trenton, and schools throughout the region. McCarter leads with values of “justice and joy, and beauty in belonging,” creating stories and experiences that enliven minds, expand imaginations, and engage communities.
