After nearly 30 years, Larry Yando returns to Drury Lane's stage as Hercule Poirot

It's been nearly 30 years since Larry Yando stepped onto the Drury Lane stage. And while the Oakbrook Terrace venue has undergone some renovations since then, its lush rococo style remains the same, evidenced by its signature crystal chandeliers and red velvet seats.

What feels different muses Yando, who plays famed detective Hercule Poirot in "Murder on the Orient Express," is the attention to detail. While he doesn't relish the commute to DuPage County, Yando says he's delighted to work with director Jessica Fisch and her cast.

"She's sharp as a tack," said the self-described British mystery fanatic. "I trust her implicitly, and that's a great thing when you're working on a new play, or any play. I absolutely feel comfortable putting myself in her hands, and that's not always the case."

"It's all top-notch and that's exciting to me," said the four-time Joseph Jefferson Award-winner, whose numerous local and national credits include 15 years (and counting) as Scrooge in Goodman Theatre's "A Christmas Carol," three years as Scar in "The Lion King" national production and the 2019 European tour of "Battlefield," directed by the late Peter Brook, the Royal Shakespeare Company co-founder whose 1968 book "The Empty Space" profoundly influenced Yando as a young actor.

"Right before the pandemic, I got the gift every theater actor would want. I went to Paris to work with Peter Brook," said Yando, who initially thought the invitation to audition for Brook was a prank.

To meet and work with the theater artist he had long admired, Yando felt like he'd come full circle.

"It was like a gift," he said, "a little reminder that I'm in the right place, doing the right thing."

Judging by his accolades, Yando's been doing the right thing for decades. Still, he has moments of doubt and insecurity.

"I had it with Poirot. After three days of rehearsal, I don't know how to walk and talk at the same time," he recalled, laughing. "It happens every show."

During those times he wonders whether he should have been a veterinarian. Fortunately for Chicago-area theater lovers, the thought doesn't linger long.

"It's because you want to do well," he said. "You want to give 100% of yourself. You want to give your best to the other actors and the audience."

With every dramatic role he plays, Yando tries to find the humor within the character. With every comic role, he works to uncover that character's pathos. To fully realize a character requires balancing those disparate qualities, he says.

For Yando - whose Shakespeare resume includes everything from kings to gravediggers - it isn't the size of the role that matters, it's the variety of roles he gets to play.

"I've been lucky to be able to pinball around," said Yando, who's worked at Marriott, Writers, Goodman, Court, Steppenwolf, Chicago Shakespeare and other theaters.

"I've been very fortunate. I got to do some amazing roles," said Yando, who would like to play James Tyrone in "Long Day's Journey Into Night" and the Stage Manager in "Our Town."

"The city has been so amazing to me," he said. "The only thing I have to offer at this point of my life is what I've learned by being in the trenches and by still being in the trenches."

As a young actor, Yando learned more from watching his more experienced counterparts than he learned in school.

"Eighty percent of the talent I might have was honed by that," said the actor, who has taught at DePaul and Northwestern universities and at Chicago Shakespeare Theater.

He insists there's more to learn.

"Once you think you know it all, you're dead in the water," said Yando, who happily shares what he knows.

"I feel it's the only thing I have to give. (Acting) is what I've dedicated my life to and I have a responsibility to pass it on."

• • •

"Murder on the Orient Express"

When: 1:30 p.m. Wednesday; 1:30 and 8 p.m. Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday; 3 and 8 p.m. Saturday; 2 and 6 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 31 to Oct. 23

Where: Drury Lane Theatre, 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace, (630) 530-0111 or drurylanetheatre.com

Tickets: $69-$84

COVID-19 precautions: Masking encouraged