Winter, 1952: Monkwell Manor has been newly opened by its proprietors, Mollie (Christy Sullivan) and Giles (Gus Murray) Ralston. Mollie is sweet, young and pretty with ash blonde hair. Stalwart, uxorious Giles is a chiselled hunk .They have only been married a year and are still feeling their way through the business of motel management.
Various guest arrive: the aloof, picky and bitter Mrs Boyle (who everyone loves to hate ) as played by Linda Cropper; a highly strung young man, Christopher Wren (Travis Cotton), clad in a terrible Fair Isle jumper; the mannishly dressed Miss Caswell (Jacinta John); and upright, aging Major Metcalf (Nicholas Hope), all of whom the Ralstons are anticipating. Because of his car overturning in heavy snow, the flamboyant Mr Paravacini (Robert Alexander), elegant, and with Continental manners, also arrives, unexpectedly. Last on the scene is Detective Sergeant Trotter (Justin Smith, looking like a country parson), who arrives dramatically on skis.
As the play opens, a murder is announced in London on the radio and in the papers; it becomes a topic for discussion at the Manor. There are links to another murder which took place nearby, some years ago. Once the detective has arrived, another murder takes place, and the phone line is cut, leaving Monkwell Manor cut off from the outside world. As per the classic Christie formula, Trotter gathers all the guests and the Ralstons together and questions them individually. Each partially avoids telling the truth, some by lying, and some by silent omission. Can the murderer be caught and more deaths avoided? Clues are scattered to keep us guessing – see if you can pick who did it.
Over the play’s two and a half hour running time, we get to know all the characters and discover their hidden secrets – or do we? How well we know people, who they say they are and whether they can be trusted, is one of the play’s major themes. Equally important is the nursery rhyme, ‘Three Blind Mice’.
Director Gary Young has brought together a fine cast – all are excellent actors, and they work together well as an ensemble. The set is the Great Hall at Monkwell, a typical wood-panelled room featuring a good fire, various comfortable chairs, old paintings hung on the walls etc. Though we never actually see the other rooms (library, dining room etc) the solidly of the set lets us feel that they are adjacent.
A wonderful, if now perhaps slightly old fashioned murder mystery, strongly performed and very much enjoyed by all.
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
The Mousetrap
By Agatha Christie
Director: Gary Young
Sound Effects: Dave Tonion
Costume and Hair Design: Suzy Strout
Set Design: Linda Bewock
Lighting Design: Matt Cox
Associate Director: Adrian Barnes
Cast: Christy Sullivan, Gus Murray, Travis Cotton, Linda Cropper, Nicholas Hope, Jacinta John, Robert Alexander and Justin Smith
The Sydney Theatre, Walsh Bay
June 30 – July 28
Additional Dates:
Playhouse Theatre, Canberra: August 1 – 9
His Majesty’s Theatre, Perth: August 14 – 26
The Comedy Theatre, Melbourne: August 30 – October 7
The Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide Festival Centre: October 9 – 28
www.themousetrap.com.au
