The Mousetrap held its world premiere at Theatre Royal Nottingham in 1952 - and now the seventieth anniversary tour of Agatha Christie’s iconic thriller returns to the city...
There’s been a murder in London, and seven strangers staying at Monkswell Manor are all suspects! Is the killer among them? Could one of them be the next victim? A detective turns up to question the guests and begins to reveal the truth, as well as the secrets that each of the suspects is keeping. We are about to experience on stage, a wonderful game of live action Cluedo!
Todd Carty (Mark Fowler from EastEnders) is Major Metcalf. He performs little more than adequately with a rather uneven accent and stumbles over his lines once or twice. Gwyneth Strong (Cassandra from Only Fools and Horses) is Mrs Boyle, and is much better. She plays the role of the cantankerous Mrs Boyle to perfection - the audience hates her! Credit to her to playing the role with such gusto and not shying away from making herself unlikeable. Finally, of the trio of television stars, it is John Altman (Nick Cotton from EastEnders), as Mr Paravicini, who fairs least well. Guilty of forgetting his lines on several occasions in a minor role (in a larger role, on the opening night this might be forgivable), he fails to impress. Worst of all, his attempt at Italian accent can only be described as poor at best; at worse it is a lazy stereotype, which at times slips entirely. He needs to spend some time with a dialect and accent coach, or perhaps, dare I say it, be replaced by the understudy. He may have found his acting level, much the same as Carty, in a television soap opera. This may be the problem with including ‘big name’ stars in theatre productions that hope to pull in audiences by including familiar faces.
The Mousetrap is suspenseful from start to finish, but it also has plenty of comedic moments. In the main the characters are also fully fleshed-out, with back stories and unique personalities, unlike some murder mysteries
Very worthy of praise and showing their familiarity with the roles, having played them previously in the London version of The Mousetrap, are Elliot Clay as Christopher Wren and Essie Barrow as Miss Casewell. Both are full of verve, brimming with passion for their roles and youthful energy. Joelle Dyson (Dreamgirls), as Mollie Ralston, also deserves special praise for her performance in what is probably the largest, toughest role of the play. She performs beautifully with a range of emotions and showcases her acting abilities with ease.
The play is fairly fast-paced and much of the time the entire cast occupy the stage. The set is well-constructed, colourful and in-keeping with the 1950s setting. There are, however, no set changes and few, if any, costume changes. Christie, while not known for her comedic writing abilities in her Poirot and Miss Marple works, injects much more humour into this play - notably through the character of Christopher Wren, who is playful, childlike and humorous.
The Mousetrap is suspenseful from start to finish, but as mentioned it also has plenty of comedic moments. In the main, the characters are also fully fleshed-out, with back stories and unique personalities, unlike some murder mysteries that are inhabited by bland, one-note characters.
There is also a skilfully-written plot, as you might expect considering it was penned by Agatha Christie, the queen of the murder-mystery thriller - of course, any genre piece that came after The Mousetrap is standing on her shoulders. Best known for her characters Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot, The Mousetrap is her most celebrated and accomplished play, loved the world over by audiences and critics alike. And should you doubt her credentials, she is the best-selling author of all time, having outsold not only William Shakespeare, but also the Bible!
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