Reviewed by Dorothy White
I knew The Mousetrap by Agatha Christie had been running on the London stage for many years, but had not realised it had actually been running almost 67 years! What an achievement!
Agatha Christie originally wrote a thirty minute radio drama called Three Blind Mice by Royal Command as an 80th birthday present for Queen Mary in 1947. The BBC had asked what they could give Queen Mary in the way of a birthday present, and the answer was that a play by Agatha Christie would be suitable. Five years later this 30 minute play formed the basis of The Mousetrap which opened at the Theatre Royal Nottingham in October 1952, then moved to Ambassadors Theatre, London in November 1952. It stayed there for 22 years until 1974 when it moved next door to St Martin’s Theatre. Amazingly it is still there, playing to packed houses every night.
I was really excited to be able to see the touring version of The Mousetrap at Milton Keynes Theatre last night, which also played to a packed theatre! It is of course a murder mystery as you would expect from Agatha Christie, but how it has survived all these years without someone giving away the name of the murderer I do not know? Of course, the audience are asked at the end not to divulge the secret! There were plenty of red herrings thrown in along the way to deceive the audience.
The guests and owners of the house quickly arrived one by one at an isolated country house thankful to be out of the snowstorm. The roads to the house become cut off due to the snow. Radio reports and a newspaper brought into the house say there is a suspected murderer on the loose. Everyone could have been the murderer, nobody is telling the complete truth about their lives or where they had been!! The Nursery Rhyme ‘Three Blind Mice’ is heard faintly at times throughout making it all very eerie.
All the actors were absolutely brilliant in their parts whether they were the owners of the house, the guests or police.
Harriett Hare as Mollie Ralston was delightful and together with Nick Biadon as her husband Giles Ralston portrayed a young couple trying to make a living with their new venture. Lewis Chandler was great as Christopher Wren who was very ‘different’, Susan Penhaligan as Mrs Boyle was the perfect grumbling guest, John Griffiths as Major Metcalf was convincing as ex-army personnel, (he was also Resident Director), Saskia Vaigncourt-Strallen as Miss Casewell was visiting from abroad, while David Alcock as Mr Paravicini was always jovial, happy and even taunting at times. Geoff Arnold as Sgt Trotter arrived at the house and conducted his enquiry perfectly. I suspected each and every one of these people as being the murderer at times, it was so convincing!
The individual outfits they wore were very much in character, so true to the period and part they played. The staging was very simple but with excellent scenery and props typical of the times. We could imagine the other rooms in the house even if we did not see them.
A truly marvellous show which kept us wondering who the murderer was until the very end.
If you want to see The Mousetrap, I suggest you quickly book your tickets for Milton Keynes Theatre.
Rating: 5/5
Tickets cost from £13 (plus £3.65 transaction fee).
The Mousetrap is at Milton Keynes Theatre from 19-24 August 2019, for more information or to book tickets visit www.atgtickets.com/miltonkeynes or call the box office on 0844 8717652.
Milton Keynes Theatre, 500 Marlborough Gate, Milton Keynes, Bucks, MK9 3NZ
