Celebrating with a 70th Anniversary tour, Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap is the world’s longest running play and for me is the genre- defining murder mystery from the best-selling novelist of all time.

If you have never seen The Mousetrap before or have seen it several times, the play is as popular today as it always was. Of course one of the rules of the play is that after experiencing the murder mystery is that you must keep quiet about who the murderer is so as not to spoil the plot for those new to The Mousetrap. Yes, there is a twist in the tale but to discover what is is…..well, that would be telling.

The cast of the production currently touring the country are excellent with each member portraying their character with ease.

Newlyweds Giles Ralston (Laurence Pears) and Mollie Ralston (Joelle Dyson) have recently taken over a guest house, Monkswell Manor that Mollie has been left.

As their guests arrive on a snowy winters night the audience are slowly introduced to what are to become prime suspects in a murder case.

The young and childish Christopher Wren (Elliott Clay), the forever complaining Mrs Boyle (Gwyneth Boyle), upright and forceful Major Metcalf (Nicholas Maude), the mysterious Miss Casewell (Essie Barrow), eccentric Mr Paravicini (Kieran Brown) and to preside over matters Detective Sgt Trotter (Joseph Reed)

When Mrs Boyle gets murdered at the guest house, what was a slow burner of a play suddenly starts to take off. Here they are all the inhabitants of Monkswell Manor cut off from the outside world by an horrendous snow storm, the telephone line has been mysteriously cut and there is a killer on the loose - the question is Whodunnit?

In the background the nursery rhyme refrain of Three Blind Mice is played like a haunting reminder of one murder down, two to go. Sinister and compelling like this murder mystery that still resonates.

The dialogue at times might be stuck in the Fifties as is the setting with the radio being called “the Wireless” along with old fashioned furniture but it all fits in well with the period of the time.

There are enough twists and turns to keep you guessing who the culprit is. As Detective Sgt Trotter requests as the final curtain comes down, you have to keep your lips closed as to whodunnit.

That is for you to guess and to discover one of the biggest secrets in theatre.

Runs until Saturday 11th March at York Grand Opera House then touring.

LATEST REVIEWS