The Mousetrap At Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent Review

Reviewed by Vickie Njoroge

The Mousetrap, perhaps one of the most famous plays of the 20th century, is on a national tour for its 70th Anniversary. Having never seen the play, I was excited to have the opportunity to watch it in a theatre closer to home.
The town of Hanley, where the Regent Theatre is situated, seemed a particularly quiet town in the process of “levelling up”. It was a pleasant surprise then to find the Regent Theatre, beautifully restored to a 1600-seated art deco theatre, buzzing with life on the opening night of Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap.

A night out at the theatre was what I was hoping for and a night out at the theatre was what I got. Having no real knowledge of what the play was about, I was expecting the plot to be quite serious and chilling and so I was surprised to find there to be well-timed humour balanced with the suspense of an Agatha Christie whodunnit. Laugh-out-loud moments were woven into the sinister, leaving me second-guessing who the murderer was, right to the very end. The audience was gripped, transported back to a 1950s guesthouse – in true Agatha Christie style – where the guests (seemingly strangers) are snowed-in, with no hope of escape and the knowledge that there is a murderer within. There were moments of silence where you could hear possible suspects being crossed off the metaphorical list in the minds of the audience or the penny dropping in realisation of who the killer was.

The cast worked well together and, with the support of a talented production team, the seamless performance had me enthralled and 2 hours 20 minutes (including the interval) just flew by. It is always a bonus to see well-known faces treading the boards and one of the actors I recognised in the cast was Gwyneth Strong , who you may recognise as Cassandra from Only Fools and Horses, playing Mrs Boyle – a strong-willed retiree, with a chip on her shoulder and a secret on her mind. Another famous face from the TV was Todd Carty, playing the role of Major Metcalfe, a likeable gent who is keen to help out when needed. Both played their roles well and were entertaining and believable.

For me, the actor that stood out the most was Elliot Clay who played the character of Christopher Wren – a lively and excitable young man – with energy, lulling the audience into a false sense of security and leaving us wondering, come the interval, if he really was as loveable as he seemed. It is fair to say that I spent much of the interval eavesdropping on other audience members’ conversations about who they thought the murderer was.

I give this performance a 5/5 star rating. The Mousetrap is at the Regent Theatre until Saturday 8th April and the tour continues until February 2024. Tickets for the tour are bookable via https://www.mousetrapontour.co.uk/ .

As for the Regent Theatre itself, the staff were approachable and helpful, happy to take you to your seats if you were unsure of where to go. Although bags were searched for security reasons on entering, we were allowed to take in our own refreshments and sweets. Refreshments were available and there was also the option of scanning a QR code in order to get refreshments delivered to your seat. The facilities were clean and well maintained and it felt like it had been recently refurbished. The venue is also easily accessible by wheelchair users.

The Regent offers a “Price Promise” that enables customers to buy up to 4 tickets at £13 each, subject to availability. It is also great to see that ATG offers 25% discounts for “Local Heroes” such as teachers, social care workers, prison officers, armed forces and “blue light” professionals – making the theatre experience more affordable for a wider range of people. Visit atgtix.co/LocalHeroes

The theatre is less than 5 minutes away from a range of parking options that are reasonably priced.

The Mousetrap is at Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent ST1 3AD situated in the town of Hanley.
From 3rd April – Saturday 8th April 2023

Rating: 5/5.

Tickets cost from £13 Phone: 01782 213808

Bookable via https://www.mousetrapontour.co.uk/