Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap opened in London’s West End in 1952 and, if not for the pandemic, this year it would have celebrated an unbroken 70-year run. While renowned as a fast-paced whodunnit, director Robyn Nevin has teased out nuances that demonstrate there’s far more going on than mere murder – class, sexuality and buried trauma all simmer beneath the surface in a roomful of suspiciously edgy characters.
The curtain rises on the Victorian splendour of the Great Hall of Monkswell Manor. It’s the winter of 1952, and beyond the huge leadlight window snow is falling. A young couple dash about, frantic with last minute preparations. Mollie and Miles Ralston (Anna O’Byrne and Alex Rathgeber) are transforming the imposing Berkshire manor into a guesthouse, with the grand opening set for tonight.
One by one, the guests arrive. Delightfully flamboyant trainee architect Christopher Wren (Laurence Boxhall), cantankerous Mrs Boyle (Geraldine Turner), straight-spined Major Metcalf (Adam Murphy) and the elegantly long-striding journalist Miss Casewell (Charlotte Friels). As the official guests settle in, they are joined by two surprise visitors – Mr Paravicini (Gerry Connolly) who claims to have crashed his Rolls Royce into a snowdrift and Detective Sergeant Trotter (Tom Conroy), who arrives on skis and climbs through the window to announce there’s a murderer among them and someone will die tonight.
Ratcheting up the suspense is the fact everyone is trapped. The snow prevents escape and someone has cut the phone line. Whether it’s guilt or panic, all the characters are on edge. Everyone has something to hide.
While not featuring either of her most famous sleuths, Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot, this delightfully clever tale still has all the hallmarks of a classic Christie mystery. Using only the single set, brilliantly designed by Isabel Hudson, the play barrels through its three acts, driven by crisp, witty dialogue delivered by a supremely talented ensemble cast.
Each character has their moment in the spotlight and it’s seized with gusto. Laurence Boxhall is especially delightful as the wild-haired Christopher and Anna O’Byrne is simply perfect as the energetic and earnest Mollie. Together with Alex Rathgeber as her pitch-perfect husband, the pair lead the ensemble with seemingly effortless style. Tom Conroy’s detective is agile as he attempts to rattle clues from his reticent suspects and Gerry Connolly’s masterfully comic Mr Paravacini is the light touch that rounds out the cast.
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Australian theatre legend Robyn Nevin has done incredible work bringing this classic to the Australian stage, maintaining its traditional 50s-era British charm, while subtly emphasising class-rigidity and identity for contemporary audiences. Lovers of nostalgia will appreciate the impeccable ‘BBC accents’ and the music which simultaneously evokes pre-television radio stories and Hitchcock-era films.
Brimming with humour, drama and the obligatory Christie-esque last-minute flurry of surprise, from the costuming to the crisp pace, this is production is sheer period-drama delight.
Essential to the play’s longevity is the secret of ‘whodunit’. After the final curtain falls, audiences are inducted into the play’s ‘secret club’ and asked to keep the murderer’s identity to themselves. It’s a delicious end to a thoroughly enchanting experience that leaves you feeling as though you’ve travelled back in time. This is a rare chance to experience a piece of theatrical history. Don’t miss it.
The Mousetrap is playing at Her Majesty’s Theatre until January 15.
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