The Mousetrap (St. Martin’s Theatre)

So I booked The Mousetrap to take my mum as a birthday present this Halloween, I had seen copious amounts of posters all over the London Underground and figured it was a sign for both my mum and I to see it. After seeing Witness for the Prosecution, I was very much excited to see another Agatha Christie murder mystery (that rhymed). I was not left disappointed by the end. But let’s start at the beginning: when the curtains came up the set on stage was shockingly aesthetically pleasing. A fireplace with burning logs, an intimate living room with doors leading to other rooms within the set of a hotel. The characters themselves had an amazingly “old London” accent but kept the humour up to date for the younger audience. Their outfits were very 50s and yet I was thinking hmm I could see myself wearing that skirt. Anyway, enough of fashion, the plot itself was spectacular. Christie’s novels never fail to surprise me considering the time she published them in, I feel as if her stories have come full circle keeping an audience captivated throughout time. It astounds me how she thought of such plot twists and how they are still shocking to this day. The story revolves around a murder that happened in London, and how that intertwines with a hotel that has just opened. A couple opened a new hotel and 4 guests have come to stay to try out the place. The weather however is terribly cold and snowing heavily so a fifth mystery man comes to stay as there is a spare room and his car has broken down. The comedy between the guests is great, I wasn’t expecting to laugh so much seeing this performance. However, the comedy is short lived as a murder occurs within a few minutes into the play. I won’t give away the rest of the storyline and ending as that is where the mystery begins to unravel. My mum and I both guessed who it could’ve been and none of us managed to guess correctly. The reveal was brilliant but another plot twist was also revealed which I did not see coming.

This play is the longest running show in London and I can definitely see why. It is so brilliantly played out and the comedic relief parallels greatly with the thriller side of it. I really do recommend seeing this play as soon as you can. It is great for all ages, you will not get bored as this play will definitely make you think, will make you feel frustrated and keep you on the edge of your seat wanting to know more of the story!