The Mousetrap is the longest-running West End show EVER, having run continuously since 1952.
It’s perfect that this Agatha Christie’s classic ‘whodunnit’ has returned to Nottingham at the glorious Theatre Royal almost seven decades after it previewed here before popping down the M1 to London – where it still plays 8 times a week in the West End at the St Martin’s Theatre.
This is a mostly uplifting & jolly night out. Part thriller but mostly camp old nonsense, a touch of farce and ultimately a curious mystery for the masses. This certainly isn’t highbrow if that’s what you’re thinking.
The plot begins during a snow storm following a murder in London. Based at Monkswell Manor, a guest house run by young married couple Giles and Mollie Ralston – they welcome five guests who, upon first impressions, don’t appear to have any connections with each other. Some of the guests are expected, some are not & mystery ensues…
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Enjoy our HD VIDEO REVIEW via YouTube:
The radio confirms that a woman has been murdered in London and the murderer is on the run. The culprit was coincidentally attired similar to all of the folks staying at the inn.
The police are warning there is a killer is on the loose and the newly arrived guests are in danger.
Who will escape the clutches of the killer? Who is the killer? Is it one of the newly arrived guests?
You’ll need to see the show to find out.
The characters are, as you might expect, an eclectic bunch with a cantankerous elderly woman, a retired army general and the obligatory camp young bachelor. This is surprisingly more Hi-De-Hi than Shakespeare.
Fans of the classic BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses will recognise the elderly woman, Mrs Boyle, as Gwyneth Strong who played Rodney Trotter’s wife Cassandra in the hit show.
Geoff Arnold gives a strong performance as the police sergeant as does Lewis Chandler who plays the mincing Christopher Wren. David Alcock plays the peculiar Mr Paravicini brilliantly.
As you might expect with an Agatha Christie story, there are no gimmicks or elaborate sets, it’s a decades old play not The Lion King. It’s classy though and beautifully staged and lit.
This is just good, old-fashioned, quality acting which keeps you engaged throughout.
Without giving too much away, the killer reveals themselves to the audience towards the end of the show – and asks the audience to keep the revelation to themselves! Can you keep the secret? SHUSH!
Review by Alex Belfield for Celebrity Radio 17th June 2019.
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