Having run for over sixty years in London, we have often wondered whether or not we are the only couple left in the UK never to have seen The Mousetrap. Despite that, the tradition that the audiences should never reveal the murderer’s identity seems to have worked well enough for us, so at least when we saw the touring production in Colchester’s Mercury Theatre last night, we weren’t aware whodunit!
At least, that was the case until about three quarters of the way through the first act, when it seemed to us the perpetrator was blindingly obvious. In fairness, I suspect the might be because the plot device has subsequently been used in many theatre and TV productions since Christie wrote the Mousetrap. So, it’s a little churlish to complain about the original blueprint, as at the time it was probably quite an innovation in plot structure. In the time honoured tradition, I won’t reveal the name of the murderer, just in case you’re going to see it on this 2015 and 2016 run. If you do go, then on the basis of last night’s house, expect to see a full auditorium.
We enjoyed it in, albeit in a slightly ironic way. It does seem very much of its time and although there were a couple of nice, humorous one liners, the dialogue did seem a little stilted and the characters a little one dimensional, perhaps deliberately so. The touring production was perfectly serviceable, and I’m not too sure what more you can do with what is essentially a period piece that, unlike other plays of similar vintage, has grown a little musty. It’s interesting to speculate why it has run continuously in the West End for sixty years. Perhaps its longevity has itself now made it a tourist destination in its own right, something to tick off the list when you visit London?