"On a snowy night at Monkswell Manor, newlyweds Mollie and Giles welcome a group of strangers to their guest house, only to discover news of a murderer in their midst! A police investigation reveals the sordid details of each guest's mysterious past, but not soon enough to stop the killer from striking again. Agatha Christie's masterful whodunit weaves an intricate plot filled with nerve-rattling suspense, all leading up to the ultimate final twist!"
-From the website
-From the website
Mom took me to see Agatha Christie’s Mousetrap at the Footlights Theater last Saturday. We handed over our
tickets and walked into the main theater. I followed Mom. She walked down the steps…past seats…past
half the rows…past all of the rows.
We sat in the first row! When I stretched my leg out, my foot was on the level
stage. During the performance, sometimes the actors would walk toward us and I
actually hunched back a couple of times because they were so close – it was
great!
The actors did a splendid job.
Joey deBettencourt played Christopher Wren and he was superb. He reminded me of David Tennant in Randall and Hopkirk - completely crazy and awesome. He laughed at inappropriate times and made the other characters feel so uncomfortable that you felt uncomfortable. Then he would break out in song or say something so off-the-wall that the audience laughed, thus lifting the tension.
Greg Matthew Anderson was also wonderful as Sergeant Trotter. He was thoroughly enjoyable to watch. I found myself staring at Joey deBettencourt or Greg Matthew Anderson when they were on stage, even if they weren't talking or the focus was elsewhere.
Patrick Clear played Major Metcalf and he reminded me of every kind, old, retired military person ever played in any movie, TV or play - and that's meant as a compliment. He was perfect and played his part to perfection. (And he was on Early Edition!)
Laura T. Fisher was Mrs. Boyle. She, also, played her part to perfection. She got all the straight lines that others would play off.
Lindsey Pearlman as Miss Casewell was a perfect fit. She was Miss Casewell. When she wasn't delivering a line, she was listening, reacting. She was fantastic.
Joe Dempsey played Mr. Paravicini and I loved how he used the accent to make his character come alive. Mr. Paravicini was another one who was a little bit crazy and said the most inappropriate things at the worst times - delightful for the audience, not so much for the other characters. (And he was on Early Edition, too!)
Cora Vander Broek played Mollie Ralston and was a delight to watch. All she wanted to do was run her new bed-and-breakfast but everything conspired against her, from the weather to her strange guests and, of course, a killer.
Keith Neagle played Giles Ralston, Mollie's husband. He was excellent! Whenever his character was interrupted, he held back, looking like he either wanted to murder the person or wait for his turn to speak. You weren't sure which!
The clothes were old
fashioned, the set dressed simply but elegantly and the accents were pretty
good. I think my favorite detail was the snow outside the window. Facing our
awesome seats - a little to the right - a big picture window (that opened and
closed, allowing two characters to exit as needed) seemed to look outside. You knew
it led backstage, you knew we were deep inside a building, in a windowless
room, yet it really looked like a huge winter storm blew outside this fake
window. “Snow” fell during the entire play. There was a sound, natural and
familiar. It was low enough that you didn’t quite realize you were hearing a blowing
wind. I think the scene was set so perfectly that we all fell for it. I know it
was the middle of December and it’s quite possible the theater was kept cold,
but I was freezing. At intermission, I looked around to see if it was just me,
but everyone was huddled in their winter coats. I still don’t know if it was
the temperature or our minds.
The performances were so enjoyable and the time flew
by. Naturally, afterward,
Mom and I talked about all sorts of little details of the mystery and how it compared to the actual book –
without spoilers because I haven’t read this one (or did so, so long ago that I
don’t remember it). There was a whole character Mom didn’t remember being in
the book. I also got an idea for a mystery plot, too. Nothing like what was in the play but something made me think of a cool line to travel down. (I'll have to remember to link to this post after I write it!)
We went home and I went to a Christmas party. We met up later in the
evening at our writer’s group's game night. She told me while I was at the party,
she went to the bookcase and reread Mousetrap.
All in all, a lovely, wonderful evening.
Thank you, Mom!
