The Mousetrap Review

Sheffield Lyceum – until 16 February 2019

Reviewed by Lottie Davis-Browne

3***

Now in its 67th year, Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap” is the worlds longest running production. It opened in London’s West End in 1952 and remains there to this present day. It began its life as a short radio play entitled “Three Blind Mice” – a theme which runs throughout the plot.

It’s a classic “who dunnit?” – a typical Agatha Christie murder mystery. The story opens with the sound of someone being murdered before the curtain opens – a Mrs. Lyons. The curtains opens to a grand hotel lounge in 1950s Berkshire; snow is starting to fall through the huge ornate stain glassed window. We meet hotel owners Mollie and Giles Ralston (Harriet Hare and Nick Baidon) – a young middle class couple who are soon to be celebrating their first wedding anniversary. They admit to knowing very little about running a hotel, having recently just re opened as the new owners of Monkswell Manor Guest House.

Soon their first guest arrives, a hyperactive young gentleman by the name of Christopher Wren (Lewis Chandler) – who claims he was named after an architect and that he is also himself training to be one. He acts in a very peculiar manner (he is also camper than Brighton Pride and rather humorous with it too!), admitting later on it the plot that he is running away from something but refuses to say what. He also has a strange passion for nursery rhymes….As the rest of the guests arrive – Miss Casewell (Saskia Vaigncourt-Strallen) – a masculine and somewhat mysterious woman who speaks offhandedly regarding her childhood memories, Mrs Boyle (Gwyneth Strong) an older lady who has a snooty manner and is impossible to please, Mr. Paravicini (David Alcock) – the only guest who hasn’t made an advance booking but claims that his car got over turned in the snow and Major Metalf (John Griffiths) – an older gentleman who is retired from the army. Soon the guests discover that they are stuck in Monkswell Manor Guest House following the terrible snow storm. The news of the murder of a Mrs Lyons soon circulates the guest house, with the radio news reader describing the last person seen on the scene of the murder – dark overcoat, dark felt hat and a pale coloured scarf – all of which the hotel guests were wearing on arrival. Everyone is a suspect and nobody is safe…….it isn’t long until a second murder takes place, this time within the guest house itself. Sgt. Trotter (Geoff Arnold) is soon on the case, quizzing each of the guests and Hotel owners in turn to find out whodunnit.

Each scene is set within the cosy lounge of the Guest House; an ornate and typical grand country establishment in 1950s decor (the era the story takes place in); the wooden panelling, the grand open fire, ornate stain glass windows all add to the eerie suspense of this long running suspense drama. It was Rocket Scenery’s set construction and the realistic feel of the grand hotel lounge which maintained my interest in this somewhat exhausted feeling production. Forget “whodunnit” it was more a case of “whydoit”?

The story was flowing at just the right pace until we started to meet the guests, where from then onwards it felt somewhat rushed, not giving us much chance to get a feel for each character. The only exception was that of Christopher Wren (Chandler) who at least brought several laughs to the otherwise worn out storyline.

Whilst I’ve always loved the idea of a murder mystery, being a huge Cluedo fan as a child, this production sadly didn’t quite live up to my expectations, however, older audience members clearly thought otherwise.

Once the answer to whodunnit was revealed, the audience were sworn to keep the secret from those who have yet to see it. However as someone who’d not seen it before, I’d managed to guess well before the end.

If you’re a fan of Agatha Christie then this is a must see, however for the younger generation who aren’t big AC fans my advice is – don’t fall for the (mouse) trap of seeing this touring production.