★★★★☆
The Mousetrap has scurried its way into my heart with its nail-biting suspense, uniquely original and jaw-dropping twists, secretive characters, Cluedo-like puzzles, and great comedic timing.
The set boasts a gorgeously detailed manor living room with sprawling staircases leading to separate areas of the manor with its many nooks and crannies, and flickering lights adding to this sense of the unknown.
Agatha Christie’s classic sleuth tale is touring to mark an incredible 70 years (well, 72) on the west end at St. Martin’s Theatre! Hilarious to think she thought it would last less than a year in the theatre.
Without sqeaking about the show’s long-held secrets, the story follows a group of guests that become snowed in at Monkswell Manor, ran by endearing yet troubled couple: Mollie (Hollie Sullivan, understudying for Neerja Naik) and Giles Ralston (Barnaby Jago), after the announcement of a nearby murder leads Detective Sgt Trotter (Michael Ayiotis) to investigate the manor’s occupants.
Everyone is a suspect, as is comedically highlighted by the description of the murderer: someone “wearing a dark overcoat, light scarf, and a soft felt hat”, which every guest just so happens to be wearing on their arrival. Each guest also holds secrets, whether it be strange items they keep with them at all times, a questionable past, or odd demeanours.
My favourite of the guests had to be the childish architect, Christopher Wren (Shaun McCourt), with his love of the macabre, sensitivity, and silly antics, driving the uppity Mrs Boyle (Gwyneth Strong) mad, especially when his calm manners melt and he hisses, holding a crucifix at the old grump.
Other guests include a rather defensive Miss Casewell (Amy Spinks) coming from her residence abroad, old war veteran Major Metcalf (Todd Carty), and the hilariously eccentric and tormentative Mr Paravicini (Steven Elliott), who appears unexpectedly after his car broke down in the snow outside and thus makes the list of suspects and potential victims… But will the killer be caught before another life is taken, and what does the eerie nursery rhyme ‘Three Blind Mice’ have to do with it?
Agatha Christie’s stories are some of the few genre-defining murder mystery tales that constantly have me guessing. Try as you might to guess the suspect, it always alludes you since every character is so mysterious and secretive. As an audience member, you are invited into the club to keep hush about the age-old whodunnit.
While it was filled with fascinating characters and gloriously illusive secrets, the very last segment towards the reveal did feel a little rushed, and I was almost a little saddened by how quickly it finished and the rather brief reactions of some of the characters to so many literally gasp-inducing revelations.
However, this is truly one of the most gripping detective genre shows I have ever witnessed, and simply a must-see for fans of the genre or newbies alike! It’s dripping in lavish décor and an inexplicably tense atmosphere, heightened by the creepiness of that darned catchy nursery rhyme!
Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap runs at the Lowry (Lyric Theatre) until April 13 and tours the UK until August 3. The mystery continues to play at the St. Martin’s Theatre in the West End, where it is currently booking until March 1 2025.
Photo: Matt Crockett
JADAR 