The Mousetrap Sheffield review: Agatha Christie’s classic whodunit will leave you gripped from start to finish

It’s the classic whodunit that has stood the test of time. A murder mystery that remarkably remains just that.

In an age of social media where spoilers lurk in every corner, The Mousetrap has managed to avoid all that and is still drawing in audiences after seven decades on stage.

Agatha Christie’s masterpiece, which is the longest running play in the world, is celebrating 70 years in business with a UK-wide tour, including a five-night run at Sheffield’s Lyceum Theatre.

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On the play’s opening night on Tuesday, May 30, the theatre was packed to the rafters. I couldn’t see an empty seat anywhere which only goes to emphasise the mammoth reputation The Mousetrap has built up over the years.

It’s because of that very reason that I’d always wanted to go and see it. I knew it was a murder mystery with a ‘twist’ ending but I decided to do no more research than that prior to watching it as I didn’t want to come across any spoilers.

To set a spoiler-free scene of events, the play focuses around a group of seven strangers who find themselves snowed in at a rural guesthouse as news spreads of a gruesome murder in London. When a police sergeant arrives, it emerges that a killer is in their midst and it’s up to you to try and crack the case.

It’s full of twists and turns and you soon realise that anyone could be the murderer. At the interval, I was convinced I had the killer nailed on. Then halfway through the second act I changed my mind completely. By the end, my jaw was on the floor as the ‘twist’ was revealed and I found out I’d got it completely wrong.

The cast includes some well-known faces from our TV screens – most notably, Todd Carty of Grange Hill and EastEnders fame, as Major Metcalf and Casualty’s Duffy actress Catherine Shipton, who plays the pompous and pretentious Mrs Boyle.

It had me guessing all the way through and it was like watching Cluedo live on stage. Just when you think you’ve managed to piece it all together you’re thrown a curveball and I can guarantee if you’ve never seen The Mousetrap before you’ll never guess THAT ending.

At the end of the play there is a traditional curtain call and before the audience leave the theatre they are encouraged by the cast to keep the ending to themselves and not to blab to others.

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Just like when magicians reveal their tricks to live audiences, this is exactly the same, and it’s an imperative detail that has helped to secure its longevity in theatre. You essentially become part of ‘The Mousetrap Circle’ and without this it wouldn’t have become such a staple on the West End and beyond.

After 28 years of life it’s a ’Circle’ I’m now glad to be a part of – and it’s a secret I’ll be keeping to myself to ensure the legacy of The Mousetrap lives on for another 70 years.

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