You don't have to be Poirot to uncover why 'The Mousetrap' has been running for over six decades, making it the world's longest running play: it's a firm favourite with detective fiction fans from both the UK and from overseas. And with only 550 seats, St Martin's Theatre is small enough to be able to reliably fill its auditorium.
'The Mousetrap' pitched up at St Martin's Theatre in 1974, having begun life at Ambassadors Theatre in 1953. But before it arrived, the St Martin's had other claims to fame. In 1970, it staged another detective thriller, 'Sleuth', after a long lineage of small-scale dramas starring big names including Basil Rathbone.
St Martin's Theatre was first built in 1916, with a low-key style at odds with its flashier West End neighbours. Inside, its dark wood-panelled auditorium has a cosy, slightly scruffy feel, inspired by a Georgian manor house, but feeling more like a raffish gentlemens' club. The seats, in keeping with the theatre's age, are a bit on the cramped side, with steep rakes in the balcony. But maybe it just adds to the suspense, for a venue that's all about good old-fashioned '50s style thrills.