Agatha Christie’s “Mousetrap” has been captivating audiences around the world for more than 70 years. In fact, it has enjoyed the longest run of any play in the world, with its 29,500th performance having taken place in February 2024.
The whodunit tells the story of seven strangers who are stranded during a blizzard at Monkswell Manor, a secluded countryside guesthouse. Their predicament takes a chilling turn when a police sergeant arrives on skis, worried that among the guests is a murderer-at-large with a rather distinctive calling card.
Detective Sgt. Trotter: “Three Blind Mice. You know how it goes. Three blind mice.
Mollie Ralston: “Three blind mice. See how they run. They all ran after the farmer’s wife. Augh. Horrible.”
Whether sung or played with a single finger on an off-stage piano, Agatha Christie uses the age-old nursery rhyme to the same suspenseful effect as Bernard Hermann’s shrieking string theme in Hitchcock’s “Psycho” or John Williams two-note ostinato in Steven Spielberg’s “Jaws.”
Christopher Wren: “It’s the signature tune, the signature of a murderer. Oh, just fancy what a kick he might be getting out of it.”
It’s not just the music that’s off kilter in “Mousetrap.” The characters are, too, and none is quirkier than Christopher Wren, brilliantly portrayed by Jordon Ross Weinhold.
Mrs. Boyle: “Melodramatic rubbish. I don’t believe a word of it.
Christopher Wren: Oh, yes, but just you wait Mrs. Boyle ‘till I creep up behind you and I place my hands around your throat!”
All eight actors in this show enthrall. As the plot thickens while the snow deepens outside Monkswell Manor, each guest unveils a murky past, adding layers of intrigue to unfolding drama until the killer's identity and the motive are finally revealed.
Will you solve the riddle that is Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap”?
“Mousetrap” plays at Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre through September 21.
MORE INFORMATION:
The show runs through September 21.
Performances are Wednesday through Sunday evenings, with selected matinees. Tickets are $60 to $85 with group and children’s prices available.
Tickets are now on sale and can be reserved by calling (239) 278-4422, visiting BroadwayPalm.com or in person at 1380 Colonial Blvd. in Fort Myers.
“The Mousetrap” opened in London's West End in 1952 and ran continuously until March 16, 2020, when the stage performances had to be temporarily discontinued during the COVID-19 pandemic. It then re-opened on May 17, 2021.
U.S. audiences sometimes have difficulty not with Christie’s dialogue, but with the mid-Atlantic accents the actors typically employ. While that is true to some extent in the Broadway Palm production, the context is always clear and fills in any gaps in understanding precisely what the characters are saying at any point.
Fans of the murder-mystery genre will especially appreciate the subtle clues and clever misdirects that Agatha Christie weaves into the fabric of the play. Christie is renowned for her embrace of red herrings, and part of the fun in watching this show is seeing how she uses psychology to shift attention away from the culprit.
“Mousetrap” is also known for its humor. Christie uses moments of levity to interrupt the play’s moments of heightened tension and startling revelations. Two characters, in particular, elicit much-needed and well-appreciated laughs and guffaws: the foppish Mr. Paravicini and ultra-eccentric Christopher Wren. Alex Dagg and Jordon Ross Weinhold turn in scene-stealing performances in their respective roles.
Kate Whitworth is also outstanding in the role of the conflicted Mollie Ralston. Sean Fleming is masterful as Detective Sgt. Trotter and Shannon Connolly excels as condescending and judgmental Mrs. Boyle.
To read more stories about the arts in Southwest Florida visit Tom Hall's website: SWFL Art in the News.
