The Mousetrap – Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield

Writer: Agatha Christie
Director: Ian Talbot OBE and Denise Silvey

“You never know what anyone is really like, or what they’re thinking…”

Ah The Mousetrap. Agatha Christie’s Whodunnit tour de force is now in its 70th year of performance, and in all that time its ending has remained one of the best kept secrets in British theatre (and one that won’t be revealed here!). Opening at Theatre Royal Nottingham in October 1952, even the author only predicted an 8 month run, and yet here we are. So why has the show gripped audiences so tightly?

On paper, the plot is very formulaic. A couple about to celebrate their first anniversary, Mr and Mrs Ralston (Michael Lyle and Rachel Dawson) open their new countryside guest house in the middle of a snowstorm. Guests arrive one by one, starting with enchanting eccentric Mr Wren (Shaun McCourt, playing delightfully camp and clearly having a tonne of fun), then the perpetually complaining Mrs Boyle (Catherine Shipton), stiff upper lipped Major Metcalf (Todd Carty), gloomy Miss Casewell (Leigh Lothian) and finally surprise foreign guest Mr Paravicini (Steven Elliott, really hamming up an excellent Dracula impression despite playing an Italian). As the snow blocks the roads and downs the phone lines, the group are joined by Detective Sergeant Trotter (Garyn Williams). You see, there’s been a murder at a nearby farm, and he is certain that someone at the guest house is the next victim. By the end of act one, he is proven correct, which means someone else must also be the murderer…

The plot is set up well, with a wireless report on the murder stating the police are keen to talk to someone “wearing a darkish overcoat, lightish scarf, and soft felt hat”. Low and behold, all our characters turn up in just that, and the behaviours and conversations of the guests do little to assure us of their innocence. So the plot is tight and well written, if a little repetitive when the same conversations happen multiple times. Visually the show is reminiscent of any classic murder mystery, especially Cluedo with the colour blocked costumes and stately home set. The only real issue with this specific performance was with the sound, with microphones overlapping and bursts of loud and quiet as the actors moved in and out of each other’s bubbles. This was especially bad for Carty’s Major Metcalf, as he often ended up too quiet to really hear. Otherwise the whole cast put in a stellar performance, with not a weak link amongst them. The audience is pulled between suspects in rapid succession, and it is only a very shrewd observer who can work it out – your reviewer did not on her first viewing, but can report that the show holds up very well to a second exposure. In fact, following the plot might even be more fun when you know who the murderer is. Your reviewer’s companion worked it out first time, suggesting that the proliferation of twisty mysteries in recent media might eventually work against The Mousetrap, as audiences are becoming more clued in to double and even triple bluffs. Whatever the case for the future though, right now The Mousetrap is as engaging as it was back in 1952, and is a highly recommended night out.

Runs until Saturday 3 June 2023