If you’ve ever watched Alfred Hitchcock’s chilling mystery “Strangers on a Train,” you might be surprised at some differences between it and the stage version, opening Oct. 9 and running through Nov. 3 at Meadow Brook Theatre in Rochester Hills.

While the plot about two strangers meeting on a train and “swapping murders” is the same, the ending in the play doesn’t include a carousel spinning out of control. Also, in the movie, Guy Haines (Ron Williams) is a tennis player; in the play, he’s an architect.

“The play is not based on the movie,” said Stephen Blackwell of Ferndale, who plays Charles Bruno, one of the two men on the train. The Michigan premiere of “Strangers on a Train,” by Craig Warner, is based on the book by Patricia Highsmith.

“We don’t have a carousel as a set piece,” Blackwell said. “My character mentions a carousel in one line. Hitchcock is way more visually concerned. Visually, it’s stunning. We don’t need that spectacle. There is a very climactic ending, but it doesn’t rely on set pieces.

“This is the Halloween show,” Blackwell added. “It does deal with murder. In that sense, it is a little macabre. If you were to look at how often this motif (swapping murders) has been done, almost every crime TV show has had a version of this story.”

Blackwell explains the storyline: “Two guys randomly meet on a train and strike up a conversation. It gets deeper and both realize they have someone in their respective lives that they don’t care for. They think their lives would be better if these people wouldn’t exist. (Charles) Bruno feels his life would be so much better if his father didn’t exist.”

Haines says he’s traveling to visit his wife, Miriam, because he wants to get a divorce. “She claims she’s pregnant by another man.”

As they continue to talk, Bruno suggests they swap murders. “He brings it up as a joke and then a few seconds later, he considers it,” Blackwell said. “Bruno says, ‘If we swapped murders, no one would be looking for us because the clues wouldn’t make any sense.’ He says there’d be no motive.”

At first, Haines laughs it off. “By the end of the conversation, you’re left wondering what are these two characters thinking? Is there a miscommunication going on? Is it anybody’s fault?”

A couple of months later, Haines receives a call saying his wife has been murdered. “When Guy finds out his wife is murdered, he meets with Charles in a New York restaurant and doesn’t know what to think,” Blackwell explained. “What exactly happened? Does that mean I’m obligated? I’m going to commit murder just because of a misunderstanding?”

At this point, threats and ultimatums are delivered. “Charles is saying: ‘Don’t contact me or I will contact the police.’ The stakes are getting higher. Guy has a new love interest because he and his wife have been estranged.“The play deals with the moral grey area,” Blackwell noted. “In the first scene, they talk about Plato and how every person has a white horse and a black horse in them. Either one can get out depending on how you live your life. Bruno’s morality is very nebulous. He never thinks he’s doing the wrong thing.”

Blackwell grew up on Detroit’s east side. He majored in theater, with a specialty in acting, at Wayne State University and then earned a master’s degree in acting at the University of Florida. He lived in New York for a few years before moving back here to Ferndale in 2008. “New York is not my kind of town,” he said. “I did a couple of smaller shows. We got reviews in the New York Post, and I had my picture in there.”

This isn’t his first Meadow Brook show. He’s played Bob Cratchit in “A Christmas Carol” for the past four years and will do so again this year. Before that, he was Belle’s husband and the Ghost of Christmas Future. In 2023, he played Moriarty in “Ken Ludwig’s Moriarty,” and Gary, a major character in “Noises Off.”

“I was voted best comedic actor of the season by Meadow Brook ticket holders,” he said.

Other cast members are Julia Glander as Elsie Bruno, Ashley Wickett as Anne Faulkner, Tobin Hissong as Frank Myers, David Moan as Robert Treacher, and Chip DuFord as Arthur Gerard. It is directed by Travis W. Walter, with scenic design by Brian Kessler, costume design by Liz Goodall, lighting design by Brian Debs, and sound design by Matthew R. Chase. Brittanie Nichole Sicker is the stage manager.

Tickets range from $39-$48 and are available by calling the Meadow Brook Theatre box office at 248-377-3300 or going online at ticketmaster.com. Student discounts are available at the box office. Groups of eight or more should call 248-370-3316 for group pricing. “Strangers On a Train” is suggested for audience members in middle school and up.