Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap

Octagon Theatre Yeovil

A CAST of first-class actors took us on a time-machine trip back to the early fifties with the performance of the long-running play, The Mousetrap, first devised as a result of a request by Queen Mary for an Agatha Christie play as a gift from the BBC for her 80th birthday in May 1947.

The play is set at Monkswell Manor, a guest house newly acquired by Mollie (Anna Andresen) and Giles Ralston (Nick Barclay). As the first scene opens, a murder has already been committed and it is feared that the killer is on his way to the hotel. Giles returns from a shopping trip in a snow storm, carefully hiding away a mysterious purchase that has the audience’s suspicions immediately aroused.

Louise Jameson portrays the disgruntled and quarrelsome guest Mrs Boyle to perfection as she manages to complain incessantly about the hotel and the other guests. As the hotel becomes completely cut off by the snow, a fifth guest, Mr Paravicini (Gregory Cox) arrives at the hotel from his broken-down car, and Mrs Boyle becomes the second victim of the murderer.

A complex plot evolves with many twists and turns and touches of humour, not the least caused by Christopher Wren (Oliver Gully) and his cooking exploits. A suspicious number of possible suspects seem to arrive wearing a long dark coat, pale scarf and Trilby hat which adds to the intrigue.

How will the menacing Sergeant Trotter (Lewis Collier) ever manage to unravel the mystery and find the murderer, and who is the mysterious Miss Casewell (Amy Downham)? We did not manage to work out who dun it, and of course in time-honoured tradition we can now never reveal it!

The quality of these experienced actors with their impeccable timing makes this a performance well worth seeing, and was a total sell-out for the Octagon on its first night.

DIANA HOLMAN