The Mousetrap at the King’s Theatre Edinburgh Review
The Mousetrap
King’s Theatre, Edinburgh
17-22 October 2016
Reviewed by Deborah Mackenzie
This is a must for all Agatha Christie fans and those who just love a good whodunit!
The play opens with the murder of Maureen Lyon, that is played out in sound only. The curtain opens in the front room of Monkswell Manor, converted to a guest house and run by a young couple Mollie (Anna Andresen) and Giles Ralston (Nick Barclay). While waiting on their guests, Mollie is listening to the radio report about the murder.
Their four very different guests arrive on a cold and very snowy night. Christopher Wren (Oliver Gully) is a very eccentric young man and Giles takes an instant dislike to him and doesn’t understand Mollie’s trust of him. Mrs Boyle (Sarah Whitlock) and Major Metcalf (Tony Boncza) arrive simultaneously, with Mrs Boyle complaining about everything; Metcalf is a very dignified ex-military man. The final guest, Miss Casewell (Amy Downham) a rather manly young woman. As they are all booked in and another unexpected guest arrives, a foreign man Mr Paravicini (Gregory Cox) who tells the young couple that his car overturned in a snowdrift and it appears all the roads are blocked and that until the storm passes everyone is trapped. Although uneasy about Paravicini’s manner, they place him in a small remaining room.
The next afternoon Mollie answers the telephone and Superintendent Hogben tells them that he is worried about the murder as it was at the adjoining farm and he is dispatching Sgt Trotter (Lewis Collier) to the guest house and they need to take note of what he has to say.
Sgt Trotter arrives on skis because of the snow storm. Trotter tells them that a note book that had the addresses of Lyon, and the Manor in it, with a verse from the nursery rhyme Three Blind Mice, was found at the scene. When questioned, it seems everyone is hiding something, and no one wants to co-operate. It is then that Mrs Boyle is murdered, and everyone is acting suspiciously. It is now a race to find out who the murderer is, Trotter mentions that with the link to the nursery rhyme ‘Three Blind Mice’ and with two murders already, there could be one more murder to follow.
Twists and turns, laced with humour, as each guests start to reveal little by little of themselves, the plot unfolds, until the unexpected ending. I’m not going to give the secret away and as is traditional, the audience are entreated to “keep the secret locked in your hearts”.
Even though this play goes back to the 50’s, the cast were wonderful and I particularly loved Christopher Wren (Oliver Gully) who for me stole the show with his eccentric and over the top ways. My husband on the other hand, really like Giles (Nick Barclay) who came across as suspicious, yet over protective young husband.
Nothing beats an Agatha Christie murder mystery, it is like visiting that beloved old aunt who has a story to tell, you sit and listen, laugh and wait for the finale.
Rating: 5/5 
Tickets cost from £18 to £31.50 (booking fees may apply).
The Mousetrap is at the King’s Theatre in Edinburgh until 22 October 2016. For more information or to book tickets click here or call the box office on 0131 529 6000.
King’s Theatre, 2 Leven Street, Edinburgh, EH3 9LQ | 0131 529 6000
