Update: After premiering at Sydney's Theatre Royal in October 2022, this 70th anniversary production returns to Sydney with an encore season at Riverside Theatres, Parramatta, from June 15-25. Read on for our review:
It holds the record as the world’s longest running play, with almost 30,000 performances to date at London’s St Martins Theatre. And even after 70 years of shows (save for a short Covid hiatus in recent times), tourists are still flocking to the West End to see it. However, this storied reputation doesn’t necessarily mean that The Mousetrap is a great work of the stage.
Penned by the legendary author, playwright and OG doyenne of the whodunnit, Agatha Christie, it doesn’t feature any of her most beloved characters – such as Belgian detective Hercule Poirot or septuagenarian super sleuth Miss Marple – and the central premise is altogether bleaker and more austere than many of her more famous mysteries. Even within Christie’s own canon, The Mousetrap is not generally considered her best play, far from it in fact. So what is the secret to its longevity? Well, exactly that – its longevity; a play that’s been around for so long, it’s become part of the fabric of London’s world-famous theatre district. Not seeing it on a trip to the West End would be like not seeing the Opera House on a trip to Sydney.
You might well question the logic of staging a local production removed from the record-breaking mythos that continues to make it a London hit. But flawed as it may be, that’s not to say that in the hands of a killer cast, this play can’t find new ways to draw blood, as this jolly yet surprisingly detailed Aussie account of the 70th anniversary touring production proves.
Set within an isolated country manor turned guesthouse, a terrible blizzard sweeps in to trap a curious collection of holidayers within its plush yet drafty walls, completely cutting them off from the outside world. Throw into this mix a skiing policeman, a nursery-rhyme-themed murder plot, a whole shoal of red herrings and the frightfully proper sensibilities of ‘50s Britain, and you have all the ingredients of a Christie classic. Purists will be pleased to know that a combination of respectful nostalgia and the Christie estate’s strict performance parameters deliver a show that is as close as possible to the one enjoyed by audience’s back in Blighty. But it’s our homegrown talent that makes this all-Aussie account such an entertaining romp.
At first glance, it might seem that director Robyn Nevin doesn’t have much to do. The Mousetrap’s stage directions are rather starchy, and in keeping with the spirit of the tour, celebrating the seven decades of the London production, there’s very little if any room for a director to flex their creative muscles. All the action is set within a single space that never changes, and even the incidental music and the durations of the sometimes painfully long transitions are pre-determined. It’s something of a paint-by-numbers job, reviving the original ‘50s look of the show, down to the rather unambitious lighting and sound design. However, Nevin has worked her magic where it counts, assembling a superb cast who both uphold the quintessential British stereotypes that abound in this play, while also drawing out moments of emotional heft when the action allows.
It is no mean feat, given that most of the dramatis personae are caricatures: loveably soft and quietly queer fop Christopher Wren (Laurence Boxhall); prim, prudish and pugnatious spinster Mrs Boyle (Geraldine Turner); nice but dim retired army officer Major Metcalf (Adam Murphy); guarded, aloof and also quietly queer Miss Casewell; and a typically Christie-esque flamboyant foreigner, Mr Paravacini (Gerry Connolly). Nevin tempers the unavoidable absurdities of this collection of characters and the wild coincidences of the plot by making three of the central roles far less clownish. The young couple who run the guest house, Mollie (Anna O’Byrne) and Giles Ralston (Alex Rathgeber) as well as police sergeant Trotter (Tom Conroy) resist as much of the hokiness as they can – and this pays out in spades, particularly in the second half of the play, as a suspicions turn and the truth emerges.
Leaning into these moments of emotional richness (not that there are many) reminds us that beneath the dated lines and bygone manners is a story that channels timeless desires: revenge, regret, shame, compassion and love. And sure, this may not be the most radical or innovative show to grace a Sydney stage, but for anyone daydreaming about a visit to London’s West End, this might well be the next best thing. (And do yourself a favour, don’t look up the ending before you see it!)
This production was reviewed at the Theatre Royal Sydney, October 2022.