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A sixty year old mystery The Mousetrap
The New Alexandra Theatre
**** AGATHA Christie’s The Mousetrap is a
deliciously thrilling production dripping with suspense and mystery. Perhaps that is one of the many reasons the
production is the longest running show in the history of theatre.
Christie’s still popular appeal is built on enthralling murder mysteries
that allow the imaginations to tick and this production with its
wonderful cast teamed with Christie’s unique talent of storytelling,
makes for an enjoyable and entertaining experience. After seeing this production, it is no wonder
that the show has it has had a strong run for 60 years and counting.
Even Christie herself could not fathom its success, as she felt her own
masterpiece would only last eight weeks at most. It may seem like a seemingly regular story of
having to work out the person responsible for a murder, however this is
an Agatha Christie play. Set during a frightfully awful winter’s night in
Monkswell Manor, a country house run as a bed and breakfast by a young
couple, the Ralstons. They welcome a motley collection of gusts, some
unexpected, some unwanted, along with the news that someone in the house
is a murderer. It is now up to them to discover who. The script however proves to be no regular murder
mystery plot. Christie gives no warning signs of whodunit which creates
an enthusiastic buzz from the audience in the interval. Unless you have
seen this play before, there are no clues until it is too late and the
plot is revealed right at the very end. The set is quite impressive. The large reception
hall where all the action is seen gives an early 20th century atmosphere
with tall walls and dark wooden furnishings. This lavish detail only
adds to the authenticity of the show’s plot. The scale of the room makes
us feel the chill of the winter and the snap of Christie’s plot all the
more. One reason we were kept on the edge of our seats
for the entirety of the show was the portrayal of each character. Each
person of this tight-knit cast of eight had an equally important role in
the revealing of the plot as we discovered more of their characters and
their motives. Helen Clapp shows a surge of feminity as she
drives the plot along with her portrayal of Mollie Ralston with Henry
Luxembour as husband Giles while Stephen Yeo plays the part of a
flamboyant Christopher Wren, who provides a refreshing spark of humour
and charm. Anne Kavanagh shines as the cantankerous Miss
BoyleEach character has their own story to tell which shows both
individual talent and fine work as an ensemble, bringing real power to
Christie’s unsuspecting storyline. And then there is that secret covenant between
cast and audience, a binding agreement of more than 60 years to reveal
neither plot nor murderer beyond the theatre walls, creating a bond as
strong now as when the curtain first rose on Monkswell Manor in 1952. Elizabeth Halpin
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