Review The Mousetrap 70th Anniversary Tour, Manchester

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Last night I was able to take part in a little piece of history and enjoy the constitution that is, Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap at the Opera House Manchester. Its pedigree, I am positive, is all part of the charm of this little piece of living breathing theatre history.

The Mousetrap. 70th Anniversary

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Review, The Mousetrap 70th Anniversary Tour, Manchester

The Mousetrap premiered at the Theatre Royal Nottingham on 6th October 1952 and toured the Uk including the Palace Theatre Manchester, before opening at the Ambassadors Theatre London on Tuesday 25th November 1952, amongst the cast were Sir Richard Attenborough and his wife Sheila Sims and it’s mind-blowing to think that the prime minster was Winston Churchill at the time.

Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap has since enjoyed 70 years of entertaining audiences with its lighthearted, witty, murder mystery. Celebrating being the longest ever running play in the history of the British Theatre in 1957 and has gone on to break more records ever since.

Joelle Dyson as Mollie Ralston. The Mousetrap 70th Anniversary Tour. Photo by Matt Crockett

What Is The Mousetrap About?

When newlywed Mollies Ralston (Joelle Dyson) inherited Monkswell Manor and opened it as a guesthouse with her husband Giles (Laurence Pears), they had no idea what their launch would bring.

Everything seems to be against them as snow brings travel chaos and a flurry of difficult and eccentric guests. Then the worst happens and there is a murder, however who is the killer and what is their motive?

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My Review Of The Mousetrap

The set was wonderful, creating exactly the right ambience to set the scene for the whole story, with the added addition of snow that added the perfect finishing touch. I question if it was my imagination, but I also felt a blast of cold air every-time that window opened. I’m not sure if this was me mentally buying into the whole concept or clever effects.

As each guest arrived at Monkswell Manor you felt you were analysing and building a case against them. My particular favourite was Elliot Clay who played the wonderfully eccentric Christopher Wren who created a softness to an otherwise quite hard to read contingency of guests.

Lawrence Pears as Giles Ralston. The Mousetrap 70th Anniversary Tour. Photo by Matt Crockett

The ending was surprising, its not a gritty drama, but a lighthearted fun whodunnit, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The cast told the story so well, drawing you in, especially act 2 as you are franticly trying to work out who the murderer is. If you love a bit of lighthearted traditional theatre fun that makes you ponder then The Mousetrap is a great theatre production to see.

Where Can I See The Mousetrap Uk Tour

The Mousetrap is playing at the Opera House Manchester until the 3rd December with tickets from £13.00, you can then see it at…..

  • Grand Opera House York, Mon 6 Mar – Sat 11 Mar 2023
  • Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent, Mon 3 Apr – Sat 8 Apr 2023
  • New Victoria Theatre, Woking, Mon 10 Apr – Sat 15 Apr 2023
  • Edinburgh Playhouse, Tue 25 Apr – Sat 29 Apr 2023
  • King’s Theatre, Glasgow, Mon 1 May – Sat 6 May 2023
  • Milton Keynes Theatre, Mon 22 May – Sat 27 May 2023
  • Bristol Hippodrome, Mon 24 Jul – Sat 29 Jul 2023
  • Princess Theatre, Torquay, Mon 11 Sep – Sat 16 Sep 2023
  • Sunderland Empire, Tue 30 Jan – Sat 3 Feb 2024

Please note I was gifted these tickets in return for an honest review and you can’t argue with a bit of theatre history and a good old fashioned whodunnit.

See more theatre reviews here.

John Altman as Mr. Paravicini. The Mousetrap 70th Anniversary Tour. Photo by Matt Crockett

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