The Mousetrap – Tuesday 23rd July
Darlington Hippodrome welcomed us once again into their wonderful venue to see the spectacular Agatha Christie phenomenon The Mousetrap. It boasts the title of the world’s longest running play and has kept people on the edge of their seats for the last 70 years and no wonder as Christie is the best murder mystery novelist of all time. I will hear no arguments about this as her stories have stood the test of time continually being made into screenplays, movies and television shows. She just knows how to keep her audience always wanting more.
The curtains rose and revealed a truly remarkable set where the whole play was contained – no messing around with additional scenery, just one main room with perfect detail- every inch the eerie countryside guesthouse. I loved the snow falling outside of the window which added perfectly to the ambience of the set. The use of the staging was fantastic particularly the doors which led to other parts of the stage. Every inch of the setting was used well by all cast particularly the seating where the cast were cleverly placed during the murder investigation.
Our story takes place in Monkswell Manor where Mr and Mrs Ralston have just taken over the countryside guesthouse. Quickly, guests begin to appear and are introduced to the audience cleverly. The radio reveals that someone has been murdered in London, which is only twenty miles away from the guesthouse and the killer was wearing a dark overcoat, light woolen scarf and a felt hat. As each character enters they hilariously all are wearing the same outfit as the police identified the killer. They are quickly snowed into the guest house, with no phone line and a murderer in their midst. This tale maneuvers carefully through each character and their motives for carrying out this murder. The suspicious acting from our characters leaves us all dubious about who committed the crime. In true The Mousetrap style however, you are sworn to secrecy at the end of the play. So that is all I will give away in terms of the plot… you’ll have to find out WHODUNNIT?! for yourself.
The whole cast worked terrifically together and never dropped a beat throughout. We are first introduced to Mollie Ralston who was played by Hollie Sullivan. She looked truly beautiful on stage and played her character with just the right amount of sweetness and likeability. Her husband Giles Ralston was played by Barnaby Jago and gave two real distinct sides to his character as the show progressed – very cleverly acted although I did find him rather unlikeable in the second half.
Their first guest was Christopher Wren, played by Shaun McCourt. He gave an acting masterclass upon that stage and I was left thoroughly entertained and impressed. Full of energy and vibrancy I found myself wanting more whenever he left the stage. He played his character with the perfect amount of childlike zest and sinister humour. In all honesty, he really carried the show for me. I was also hugely impressed with the truly evil Mr Paravancini, played by Steven Elliot, who had the whole crowd laughing with his witty lines and delivery. What wonderful physical acting from the pair as well.
Judith Rae, gave a strong performance as the incredibly awkward and strong willed Mrs Boyle. Todd Carty played Major Metcalfe well with his strong accent and overbearing positivity. Sometimes when famous actors are in shows they never live upto expectations but he certainly did although his part was much smaller. Two more solid performances came from Amy Spinks as Miss Casewell and Michael Ayiotis as Detective Sgt. Trotter. As he entered the play he became the glue that held the show together. Quite a challenging part, with a whole load of lib to remember so bravo to him.
The lighting was used well throughout the show to create suspense and tension, I loved the flickering lights and the darkness to structure the scenes. The sound was good albeit a little quiet in some areas particularly on the radio which was quite a key part of the story and I feel as though that could have easily been missed.
As always Agatha Christie’s plays never disappoint and leave you on the edge of your seat wanting to know who committed the crime. Well worth a visit to the wonderful Hippodrome to see this spectacular play.
Review by Robyn McGough