the mousetrap tour york

Visit the Mousetrap West End website

Mon 3 - Sat 8 Jun 2024

Sat 8 Jun 2024

Mon 10 - Sat 15 Jun 2024

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Tues 25 - Sat 29 Jun 2024

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Mon 1 - Sat 6 Jul 2024

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Mon 8 - Sat 13 Jul 2024

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Tue 16 - Sat 20 Jul 2024

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Tue 23 - Sat 27 Jul 2024

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Mon 29 Jul - Sat 3 Aug 2024

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Sat 3 Aug 2024

The Mousetrap is the genre-defining murder mystery from Agatha Christie, the world’s best-selling novelist of all time. As news spreads of a murder in London, a group of seven strangers find themselves snowed in at Monkswell Manor, a remote countryside guesthouse. When a police sergeant arrives, the guests discover – to their horror – that a killer is in their midst. One by one, the suspicious characters reveal their sordid pasts. Which one is the murderer? Who will be their next victim?

The 70th anniversary tour opened at the Theatre Royal Nottingham, where it held its original world premiere in 1952. The iconic thriller is now visiting over 70 venues across the country, including all cities to which it originally played 70 years ago, plus many more.

This 70th Anniversary tour marks the first of many ways that The Mousetrap will be celebrating its extraordinary milestone year.

In the truly ensemble piece where everyone is a suspect Todd Carty (EastEnders, Grange Hill, Dancing on Ice) plays Major Metcalf, Hollie Sullivan (Barefoot in the Park (Vienna’s English Theatre) will appear as Mollie Ralston, Barnaby Jago (Shakuntala Devi Human Computer -Sony) as Giles Ralston, Shaun McCourt (Blood Brothers UK Tour, War Horse) as Christopher Wren, Judith Rae (Switzerland -Ambassadors Theatre, West End) as Mrs Boyle, Amy Spinks (Shakespeare Nation -RSC) as Miss Casewell, Steven Elliott (The Crown, Holby City) as Mr Paravicini and Michael Ayiotis (Salty in John Godber’s Teechers ’23 (UK Tour) as Detective Sgt. Trotter. This casting is for 2023 venues.

The 70th Anniversary tour of The Mousetrap continues to visit towns and cities around the country finishing on 3rd August 2024 in Windsor Theatre Royal. 

Following its 1952 premiere touring production, The Mousetrap opened in the West End where still to this day, it continues its record-breaking engagement at the St Martin’s Theatre having been performed there over 29,500 times, selling over 10 million tickets.

Cast and Creative

Hollie Sullivan

Training: Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts

Theatre credits include:  Barefoot in the Park (Vienna’s English Theatre) ; Private Lives (Vienna’s English Theatre); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Vienna’s English Theatre); Barefoot in the Park (The Mill at Sonning); Sam Wanamaker Festival 2016 (Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre); Julius Caesar (Shakespeare Festival-Neuss).

Film and Television credits include:  Waking The Dead (BBC); A Second Son (Amazon Prime Video).

Other credits include: Doctor Who – The Middle (Big Finish Productions); The Surveyor (Web series).

Barnaby Jago

Training: Arts Ed

Film & Television Credits include: Shakuntala Devi Human Computer (Sony), The Beast of Blue Yonder

Other credits include: Barnaby has narrated numerous audiobooks and audio dramas including The Iron Chariot by Stein Riverton Albie in Doctor Who Albie’s Angels.

Shaun McCourt

Training: Guildford school of Acting.

Theatre credits include:  The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe  (Gillian Lynne Theatre and UK Tour);  The Windsors: Endgame  (Prince of Wales Theatre);  Blood Brothers  (UK Tour);  War Horse  (New LondonTheatre);  The Railway Children  (Kings Cross Theatre);  Imagine This  (Union Theatre);  Iolanthe  (Wilton’sMusic Hall);  The Pirates of Penzance  (Kilworth House);  Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat  (UKTour); and  Bernstein’s Mass  (Royal Festival Hall).

Workshops include: The Grinning Man  (NTStudios);  I Capture the Castle  (NT Studios);  The Attic  (Theatre Royal Haymarket).

Training: Mountview Theatre School (Postgraduate Diploma Acting); Cardiff University (PG Diploma - Theatre Studies).

Theatre credits include: The Mousetrap (UK Tour); Switzerland (Ambassadors Theatre, West End); Lear (Valley of the Rocks, Exmoor); The Importance of Being Earnest (UK Tour); Deathtrap (UK Tour); A Room With a View (Bath Theatre Royal); And Then There Were None (UK Tour); La Bohème (Royal Albert Hall); Birds of a Feather (UK Tour); Duet for One (UK Tour); L ess Than Kind (UK Tour); S easons Greetings (UK Tour); H ouse of Ghosts (UK Tour); W omen on the Verge of HRT (UK Tour); P rivate Lives (UK Tour); T he Clean House (UK Tour); B edroom Farce (UK Tour); S trangers on a Train (UK Tour); M arrying the Mistress (UK Tour); Arsenic & Old Lace (UK Tour); T he Shell Seekers (UK Tour); M y Boy Jack (Yvonne Arnaud & UK Tour) and Corpse! (UK Tour).

Todd began his career at the age of four. He made his stage debut at the New London Theatre, where he played the leading role in the musical based on Lionel Bart’s life. As Tucker in the BBC’s  Grange Hill , Todd became an overnight success leading to his own series  Tucker’s Luck . He is also known for his roles of Mark Fowler in  EastEnders  (BBC) and of PC Gabriel Kent in  The Bill  (Talkback/Thames). 

Theatre credits include: Patsy in  Spamalot  (West End and UK Tour) and Detective Inspector Hallett in  The Business of Murder  (UK Tour). Film and Television credits include: Oswyn in  Krull  (Columbia Pictures); Angus in  Professor Poppers   Problems  (CFF Films); Randy Candy in  The Candy Show  (Beaconsfield Films); Mike in  Birches  (True Films); Dan in  The Drive  (Ninja Penguin Productions); As himself in  A Touch of Cloth  (SKY TV); Ray Hallam in  Heartbeat  (ITV); Cameron Cooke in  Holby City  (BBC); Pentecost in  The Black Velvet Band  (Yorkshire TV). Todd was also the subject of  This Is Your Life  (BBC) in 2000.

Other credits include:  Dancing On Ice  (ITV);  Masterchef  (BBC);  Mastermind  (BBC);  Dangerous Adventures For Boys  (C5 which he won with his eldest son James);C elebrity Driving Academy  (BBC with his youngest sonThomas). Directed feature film  The Perfect Burger  (BYFA) and several episodes of  Doctors  (BBC).

Todd has provided narration for numerous televisionprogrammes including  Paddington Green  (BBC),  Driving Mum Crazy  (Meridian TV) and  Scene in New York  (BBC).

Training: Arts Educational Schools, London.

Theatre credits include: Shakespeare Nation (RSC), Bab’s Big Show (Museum of Comedy), Comedy Swingers (Vault Festival), Come On (Arcola Theatre), A Guide to Second Date Sex (Bread and Roses Theatre) and Scarlett Lane Edinburgh Fringe).

Television credits include: Laugh Lessons (BBC 3), Lala’s Ladiez (ZeeTV & Endemol Shine). 

Film credits include: Mark (MOWL), Peeler, Lifeguards (Burning Reel), BaiL (Franklyn Lane Films), Sticky (Vitamin Films).

Other credits: BBC New Comedy Awards (BBC Radio 4), Tits Up (web-series).

Amy is part of the sketch duo BAB who won the Funny Women comedy short Award 2023, presented by Jo Brand and were semi-finalists of Leicester Square Theatre’s Sketch Off! 2022. 

Follow their work @babdocomedy

Steven Elliot

Training: Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. 

Theatre credits include: Frankenstein (Danny Boyle, National Theatre); The Winter’s Tale (Nicholas Hytner, National Theatre); The Ladykillers (UK tour); Dancing at Lughnasa (Abbey Theatre, Dublin);

Productions with the Royal Shakespeare Company include: Twelfth Night, Henry V, Measure for Measure, Julius Caesar, Titus Andronicus, The Revenger’s Tragedy, The Jew of Malta, The Bite of the Night, A Christmas Carol, The Merry Wives of Windsor and Pentecost .

Productions with Theatre Clywd include: Macbeth, Arcadia, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Noises Off, The Suicide, Two Princes, Troilus and Cressida, Measure for Measure, A Chorus of Disapproval, Jumpy, and Cyrano de Bergerac.

Television credits include: The Crown ; Holby City ; Da Vinci’s Demons ; Judge John Deed; Mike Bassett – Manager; Inspector Morse; Ghostboat; Dal y Melt; Porthpenwaig; Tess of the D’Urbevilles; Crash; Tunnel of Love; War Gamers .

Film credits include: Warchief ; Roald and Beatrix ; Y Swyn; Cold Earth; Time Bandits; Hamlet; Les Miserables; Rise of the Appliances; The Watcher in the Woods; King Lear, True West and Frankenstein (NT Live). 

Steven is an Associate Learning Practitioner for the RSC and Associate Artist at Theatre Clwyd.

Michael Ayiotis

Theatre credits include: Salty in John Godber’s Teechers ’23 (UK Tour), Arthur in The Sun, The Mountain and Me (Union Theatre), Pickle in Sleeping Beauty , Silly Billy in Jack and the Beanstalk , Buttons in Cinderella , Abanazar in Aladdin and Dick Whittington in Dick Whittington (all at South Hill Park Arts Centre), Achilles in Wrath of Achilles (Bedivere Arts), Market Boy (Union Theatre), Timms in The History Boys (London Contemporary Theatre) .

Television and Film credits include : Breaking the Band: Black Sabbath (ITV), Raymond’s Five (Short), Grass Roots (Short) and The Pains of Youth (Short).

Other credits include: EE Mobile (Television).

Jack George

Training: Fourth Monkey Actor Training Company

Theatre credits include: The Art of Saying Goodbye (VAULT Festival), Titus Andronicus (Fourth Monkey), Days of Significance (Fourth Monkey), Appropriate (Fourth Monkey).

Other credits include: Exploited II (Pukka Films).

Jonathan Mathews

Training: The Oxford School of Drama.

Theatre Credits include: White Fang (Park Theatre), Alice's Adventures Underground (Les Enfants Terribles), The Bunker Trilogy (Jethro Compton Productions), Much Ado About Nothing (New Wimbledon Theatre) and Fawlty Towers the Dining Experience (ITI).

Matthew Newton

Training: London College of Music and The Salon: Collective.

Theatre Credits include: The Brothers Karamazov  as Alyosha (King’s Head Theatre) and Thomas Becket in T.S. Eliot’s verse drama, Murder in the Cathedral .

Television credits include: London Class  (MBC).

Matthew is also a conductor and choir master, and as well as the piano and organ, he plays the viola with a number of orchestras around London.

Helen Percival

Training: RADA

Theatre credits include: The Last Time I Saw Caileigh (Brooklyn Art Haus Theatre), Type on Paper (Tabard Theatre), Communicate (Sheepish Productions), Northanger Abbey (Cyphers Theatre Company), Hillary’s Kitchen (Edinburgh Fringe) 

Television credits include: Martha Gellhorn in The Secret History of WW2

Helen is also a spoken word poet and in 2023 wrote and performed her first one woman show called Phoenix.

Hilary Derrett

Hilary trained at the Laban Centre.

Theatre includes: Gunhild Borkman (understudy) in John Gabriel Borkman (The Bridge Theatre, Londobn); Mary Highland/Janet Oram (understudy) in The Southbury Child (Chichester Festival Theatre); Mrs Boyle (understudy) in The Mousetrap (St Martin’s Theatre, London); Sheila Carter in Relatively Speaking (Shrewsbury); Laura Stratton in Time of my Life (Brockley Jack Theatre, London); Gerlinde/Kate in Where Will We Live (Southwark Playhouse, London); Duchess of Gloucester in Play of Thrones (Union Theatre, London); Jean Perkins in Funny Money (Vienna English Theatre); Lady Bracknell in The Importance of Being Earnest (tour); Jacques in As You Like It (tour); Nerissa in The Merchant of Venice (Bamberg Staat Theater, Germany).

TV includes: Margaret Nicholson in The History of Bedlam (History Channel); Rose West & Amelia Dyer in Martina Cole’s Ladykillers (ITV).

Radio includes: Librarian in Charlotte & Lillian (Radio 4); Janet Braid in Coward’s Peace in Our Time (Digital Drama); Alex in Fugitive Pieces (Radio 3); Kirsten in Dangerous Influences (Radio 4).

Recent Film:

Zoey in Joshua and Zoey ; Charlotte in The Estate Agent ; Old Lady/Doctor in Tales from Pussy Willow (animation).

Creative Team

AGATHA CHRISTIE

Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, DBE (born Miller; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer. In 1971 she was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) for her contribution to literature.

Christie was born into a wealthy upper-middle-class family in Torquay, Devon. Before marrying and starting a family in London, she had served in a Devon hospital during the First World War, tending to troops coming back from the trenches. She was initially an unsuccessful writer with six rejections, but this changed when The Mysterious Affair at Styles, featuring Hercule Poirot, was published in 1920. During the Second World War, she worked as a pharmacy assistant at University College Hospital, London, acquiring a good knowledge of poisons which feature in many of her novels.

Guinness World Records lists Christie as the best-selling novelist of all time. Her novels have sold roughly 2 billion copies, and her her works come third in the rankings of the world’s most-widely published books, behind only Shakespeare’s works and the Bible. The Mousetrap holds the world record for longest initial run. It opened at the Ambassadors Theatre in the West End on 25 November 1952, and is still running after more than 27,500 performances.

IAN TALBOT O.B.E

Ian was Artistic and Managing Director of The Open Air Theatre in Regent’s Park from 1987 until 2007. For Regent’s Park he directed  Babes In Arms ;  The Fantasticks ;  Lady Be Good ;  The Card ;  Kiss Me, Kate ;  A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To  The Forum ;  Oh, What A Lovely War ;  H.M.S. Pinafore (all nominated for Olivier Awards);  The Pirates Of Penzance  (Olivier nomination for best director 2000);  Much  Ado About Nothing ;  Androcles and the  Lion ;  Look Here Old Son ;  The Two  Gentlemen Of Verona ;  Twelfth Night ;  A  Midsummer Night’s Dream ;  A Connecticut  Yankee ;  The Comedy Of Errors ;  Paint Your  Wagon ;  Gentlemen Prefer Blondes ;  The  Music Man ;  Where’s Charley? ;  Camelot  and  The Boyfriend .

His other directing credits include: The Secret Garden (Watermill Theatre; Newbury);  Yeoman Of The Guard  (Savoy Theatre);  Peter Pan  (Royal Festival Hall);  High Society  (Shaftesbury Theatre and national tour);  The Pirates Of Penzance  (West Yorkshire Playhouse and national tour);  Anything Goes  (national tour);  Kiss Me; Kate  (Brisbane Festival);  Lend Me A Tenor The Musical  (Gielgud Theatre);  Doctor In The House  (national tour);  The Invisible Man  and  Charlie’s Aunt  (The Menier Chocolate Factory);  Love Letters  (Dubai Festival);  Third Finger Left Hand  (Trafalgar Studios);  A Midsummer Night’s Dream  (The Old Globe; San Diego);  Million Dollar Quartet  (national tour);  Eugenius  (The Other Palace);  The Mousetrap  (St. Martins Theatre);  Priscilla Queen of the Desert  (national tour);  White Christmas  (national tour) and many overseas tours and pantomimes.

DENISE SILVEY

Denise trained at Guildhall School of Music and Drama and began her career as an actress and singer working in the West End, film, television, and radio. She began her relationship with  The Mousetrap  by playing Miss Casewell in 1994 and then again in 2001. She became Production Supervisor for the show in 2009 and then Artistic Director in 2018. She has cast every West End production since 2009, tours since 2015 and has cast and directed productions in China, the Far East and India.

Other production and casting credits include : Cinderella  and  Jack and the Beanstalk  (feature films),  Bloody Difficult Women  (Riverside Studios),  The Pargetter Triptych  (podcast),  Musik  (Edinburgh and West End),  The Dame  (Park Theatre and National Tour),  Dead Sheep  (Park Theatre and National Tour),  An Audience with Jimmy Saville  (Park Theatre and Edinburgh),  The Roundabout  (Park Theatre and New York),  Twitstorm, Deny Deny Deny  and  Twilight Song  (Park Theatre),  Alex Salmond Unleashed  (Edinburgh and National Tour),  Once Seen on Blue Peter  (Edinburgh Festival),  All or Nothing  (Arts and Ambassadors Theatre),  Don’t Call Me Nigel  (National Tour),  The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber  (National Tour),  The Watcher  (Waterloo East Theatre),  The Translucent Frogs of Quuup  (Edinburgh Festival, Ambassadors Theatre, Kings Head),  Burton ,  Clown in the Moon,   Wilde Without the Boy  (Edinburgh and St James’s Theatre),  The Man Called Monkhouse  (National Tour),  Starting Here, Starting Now  (Jermyn Street Theatre).

She is also a recipient of both Stage One Bursary and Start Up Fund for producers and is a member of UK Theatre and the League of Independent Producers.

ADAM SPIEGEL

Over the past 25 years, Adam Spiegel has produced extensively in London’s West End as well as various tours throughout the UK and internationally. Most recently Adam has taken over as producer of the world’s longest running show  The Mousetrap  (St Martin’s Theatre), upholding its prestigious legacy within the West End.

West End credits include:  Motown The Musical  (Shaftesbury Theatre);  The Last Tango  (Phoenix Theatre);  Hairspray  (Shaftesbury Theatre);  Fame  (Aldwych Theatre and Shaftesbury Theatre);  Sister Act  (London Palladium);  Saturday Night Fever  (Apollo Victoria);  High School   Musical – Live on Stage!  (Hammersmith Apollo);  Midnight Tango  (Aldwych Theatre, Phoenix Theatre);  Dance ‘Til Dawn  (Aldwych Theatre);  Love Story  (Duchess Theatre);  Crazy for You  (Novello Theatre);  The Mysteries  (Queen’s Theatre) and  Birdy  (Comedy Theatre).

UK touring credits include: Motown the Musical (2018);  Fat Friends the Musical  (2017);  Tango Moderno (2017); Shirley Valentine  (2017);  The Mousetrap  60th anniversary tour (2012–2016);  To Kill a Mockingbird  (2014 and 2015);  Love Me Tender  (2015) The Producers  (2015);  Fame ;  Saturday Night Fever ;  The Last Tango  (2015-2016);  Dance ‘Til Dawn  (2014 and 2015);  Midnight Tango  (2011, 2012 and 2013);  Strictly Come   Dancing Live ;  High School Musical – Live on Stage!; High School   Musical 2 ; the Creole Choir of Cuba;  The Mysteries ;  Lady Salsa  and  Five Guys Named   Moe .

International touring credits include:  Saturday   Night Fever  (Australasian and Scandinavian tours);  Fame  (Scandinavian and US tours) and the Creole Choir of Cuba (worldwide).

Other theatre credits include:  To Kill a Mockingbird  (Barbican Theatre);  Amadeus  (Wilton’s Music Hall, London);  Lady Salsa  (Pleasance Theatre) and  Promises, Promises  (Sheffield Theatres).

Adam produced the annual Laurence Olivier Awards for the Society of London Theatre for five years running from 2004 to 2008. Adam has also previously acted as an arts consultant for both  The Sunday Times  and Tate Britain. Adam now sits on the board of SOLT and the League of Independent Producers.

SIR STEPHEN WALEY-COHEN

Sir Stephen has been a theatre owner and manager since 1984 when he was Joint Chief Executive of Maybox Group which acquired and managed the Albery, Criterion, Donmar Warehouse, Piccadilly, Whitehall and Wyndham’s Theatre, as well as developing the first British owned multiplex cinemas. Maybox was sold in 1989, in which year he became Director of the Victoria Palace Theatre but sold it to Cameron Mackintosh in 2014. Sir Stephen became the Producer of  The Mousetrap  in 1994. Since then he has also taken on the management of the St Martin’s Theatre as well as the Vaudeville from 1995 – 2002 and the Savoy from 1997 – 2005. In April 2007 Sir Stephen purchased the Ambassadors Theatre, the sister theatre to the St.Martin’s and the original home of  The Mousetrap  for the first 21 years of its run. Before entering the theatre business Sir Stephen was a financial journalist and a founder director of Euromoney Publications. Sir Stephen was President of the Society of London Theatre from 2002 to 2005; and he was a Trustee of The Theatres Trust 1998 – 2004. In 2007 Sir Stephen became Chairman of RADA, The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

He founded Mousetrap Theatre Projects in 1996 which each year takes thousands of young people, who would not otherwise have the opportunity, to the best of West End Theatre, and is the industry’s leading education charity.

SIR PETER SAUNDERS

Peter Saunders’ first job was as a very junior assistant cameraman. He graduated to cameraman and film director. He then produced his own films and lost all his money. He worked as a reporter on the Daily Express for four years; then as press agent to bandleader Harry Roy. He joined the army when war broke out, rising from private to captain. He jumped in at the deep end and put on his first play in 1947. He then produced more than 150 shows all over the world including the world record breaking  The Mousetrap . In 1981 he was knighted for his services to the theatre. In April 1994 he transferred the management of  The Mousetrap  to Mousetrap Productions run by Sir Stephen Waley-Cohen. Sir Peter’s hobbies included chess, photography, the music of George Gershwin, telephoning, and collecting wills. He was married to Katie Boyle.

2023 TOUR CAST

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News and entertainment worth sharing – York and North Yorkshire

Review: The Mousetrap

Tue 7 Mar 2023  @ 10:35am Sally Langton Things to do

Holding the title for ‘the longest running play in the world’ is a impressive accomplishment — and audience members at Grand Opera House York are in for a treat this week as Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap brings its national tour to York.

The sign of a good murder mystery, in my opinion, is consistently second guessing every element of the performance: every character, each movement and every single carefully scripted line. The Mousetrap did just that, bringing true mystery to the stage and leaving the audience shocked at each new revelation and twist in the story.

The Mousetrap is at the Grand Opera House from Monday 6 to Saturday 11 March .

Set on a snowy winters night, not only was a storm brewing outside but inside the walls of Mollie and Giles Ralston’s new guest house, Monkswell Manor, as they embarked on their first business as a newly married couple.

However, their first day is more eventful then they could have foreseen, as they were soon joined by a plethora of guests — both expected and unexpected, and together they created a menagerie of chaos as they interacted with one another. As the confessions are made and the plot progresses, we start to see characters begin to crack under the pressure, asking the all-important question: ‘who dunnit?’

Christopher Wren (Elliot Clay) the young eccentric architect, bounces along the stage like a disobedient puppy conveying endless energy. There were ripples of laughter around the theatre as he portrayed this character comically throughout the play.

This contrasted especially well with the stern character of Mrs Boyle portrayed by Only Fools and Horses star Gwyneth Strong, and the traditional Major Metcalfe (Nicholas Maude, covering for Eastenders star Todd Carty). Nicholas brought the dominance needed to this role, commanding his way across the stage.

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The entire cast of eight were equally fantastic, working together effortlessly to keep the performance feeling fresh despite its long-running achievement.

The set transported us straight to Monkswell Manor with its towering wooden walls and floral furniture, we felt as though we were guests too. Even though the set was stationary throughout, the many exits and doors enabled it to become a maze and only increased the feeling that a game was being played.

Thanks to direction from Ian Talbot and Denise Silvey, the ensemble never felt lost within the space — it was their own playing ground. Considering the age of the show and some of its dated dialogue, it still felt relatable and the jokes still landed well with a audience comprised of all ages — a testament to the actors and creative team who transported us back to the 50s with them.

If you would like to be in on the legendary secret, take a visit to Grand Opera House York this week to see for yourself who dunnit!

The Mousetrap is at the Grand Opera House until Saturday 11 March. Tickets start from £13 and are available here .

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Review: The Mousetrap, Grand Opera House York

Dame Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap is the world’s longest running theatre production. It’s been going for just over sixty years, has toured around the world and been met with critical acclaim wherever it goes. Now the production is on a new tour, directed by Ian Watt-Smith, and I’ve been lucky enough to catch it on its stop at the Grand Opera House in York.

In case you don’t know, The Mousetrap is a classic whodunnit, set in the 50s in an historic old house named Monkswell Manor. The Ralston couple (Anna Andresen and Nick Barclay respectively) have just moved in and have turned it into a bed and breakfast, and it isn’t long before guests start turning up. However, there’s been a murder nearby and there are reports that the killer is still out there. A sergeant inspector turns up in due course, and when there’s a new murder in the house, everyone comes under suspicion…

I won’t give any further details about the plot, as that’s what keeps The Mousetrap exciting year after year, and you’re told not to reveal the revelations and truths that come out at the end to keep the spirit of the play alive. It’s a clever, well-rounded narrative and has set the standard for generations of whodunnits to come.

But that’s not, in my opinion, what makes this production of The Mousetrap so engaging. No, that’s down to the beautiful characterisation from the whole company. Each character is distinctly different from the next, which helps to flesh out the world of Christie’s play. Every performance drips with control and detail, and we’re perfectly drawn into this world and the narrative that unfolds within it. Oliver Gully is particularly excellent as Christopher Wren, giving an often comedic reading of the character that adds some much-needed light to the suspenseful atmosphere. The same goes for Gregory Cox as Mr Paravicini, who pushes the buttons of several characters rather nicely during the course of the play.

The development of relationships throughout is also well-plotted, and the motives and intentions of characters are clear – and where they aren’t, that’s when we don’t know who to trust, and it’s an atmosphere that’s well-supported by the company throughout.

The set is reminiscent of typical end-on naturalistic dramas, harking back to the drawing and living rooms of Chekhov and Ibsen. A neat, ornate living room with various entrances and exits gives the impression of a house that holds as many secrets as some of its occupants. It’s unobtrusive and doesn’t pull your focus away from the characters and the unfolding of the plot. The same can be said of the simple lighting and sound, designed by Peter Vaughan Clarke and Richard Carter respectively; this isn’t a technically complex production, and it doesn’t need to be. It’s all about the narrative and the characters, and that’s what makes this production so famous and enjoyable.

This was the first time I’d seen The Mousetrap , and I’ve always wondered what the hype about it was. Now I see clearly what it’s all about – it’s a well-defined, confident piece of theatre that appeals to pretty much everyone. It’s not pretentious or egotistical in any way, which is surprising when you consider how long it’s been running. Instead, it does the job and keeps you guessing until the end, and makes for a wonderful and highly enjoyable piece of theatre.

The Mousetrap is playing at the Grand Opera House York until 27 February before contuining on its UK tour. For more information and tickets, visit the ATG tickets website . 

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The Mousetrap

About the show.

The Mousetrap has become the longest running show of any kind in the world by keeping audiences on the edge of their seat in this masterful whodunnit by the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie.

Experience the mystery and suspense of one of Agatha Christie’s greatest plays. Opening at Guildford Yvonne Arnaud in January 2019, the legendary whodunnit is embarking on an extensive tour of the UK while continuing its record-breaking run in the West End.

The scene is set when a group of people gathered in a country house cut off by the snow discover, to their horror, that there is a murderer in their midst. Who can it be? One by one the suspicious characters reveal their sordid pasts until at the last, nerve-shredding moment the identity and the motive are finally revealed.

Experience shuddering suspense and a brilliantly intricate plot where murder lurks around every corner.

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We are an independent show guide, not a venue or show. We sell primary, discount and resale tickets. All tickets are 100% guaranteed and may be priced above or below face value.

An independent show guide not a venue or show. All tickets 100% guaranteed, some are resale, prices may be above face value.

We are an independent show guide. Resale ticket prices may be above face value.

The cleverest murder mystery of British Theatre

The Telegraph

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The Mousetrap

Finished 11 Mar 2023

Grand Opera House York

See the show that's kept audiences guessing for 70 years!

The Mousetrap The Mousetrap

Why see The Mousetrap?

No spoilers.

In 1952, Agatha Christie's sprawling and intricate new whodunnit, The Mousetrap (based on her radio play, Three Blind Mice), opened in the West End on a very strict condition; no audience or press member was to  ever  give away the plot of the show.

Christie herself was not altogether positive as to the play's run, giving it eight months 'at most', so perhaps her edict seemed fair at the time. But it is a testament to theatre audiences that The Mousetrap has endured at St. Martin's Theatre, continually running for 70 years. Now it's on your way to you - as long as you keep the ending a secret!

Six decades have done nothing to dull The Mousetrap, the story of an odd assortment of guests snowed in at Monkswell Manor, whilst a murderer is at large and en-route. But could they be already here? When bodies start showing up, it's up to the stranded troupe to solve the mystery, before they become a part of it?

Did you know?

Wonder why you haven't seen the film? The secrecy around the plot wasn't the only condition laid down by Dame Agatha. A film adaptation is only allowed six months after the West End production closes, and given that it has been going strong for over 60 years without any sign of ending, that doesn't look all that likely any time soon!

Key Information

Todd Carty as Major Metcalf Catherine Shipton as Mrs Boyle  Neerja Naik as Mollie Ralston Barnaby Jago as Giles Ralston Shaun McCourt as Christopher Wren Amy Spinks as Miss Casewell Steven Elliot as Mr Paravicini Michael Ayiotis as Detective Sgt Trotter

Written by Agatha Christie Directed by Gareth Ross

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The Mousetrap – Grand Opera House, York

Reviewer: ron simpson.

Writer: Agatha Christie

Directors: Ian Talbot and Denise Silvey

Incredibly this was a 70th anniversary tour – surely somebody must have let the cat out of the bag as to who the murderer is in all that time, but no – at curtain call we were all solemnly warned not to betray the secret. Well, in truth it wasn’t all that solemn!

The nicest thing about The Mousetrap , though it has a genuine whodunnit puzzle, is that it doesn’t take itself too seriously. At the beginning, when the radio conveniently brings the latest news of a murder in London every time it’s switched on, the description of the murderer is suitably vague: dark overcoat, light scarf, felt hat. As every member of the cast enters individually, what do you think they are wearing?

At the moment when everyone has agreed that no one could get through this snow, there is a knock at the window and there is Sergeant Trotter, wanting to know where to park his skis. The ending, after the murderer is unmasked, is a comical medley of secrets unveiled.

Ian Talbot and Denise Silvey employ a suitably light touch, with all cast members overplaying with relish. Mollie and Giles Ralston, one year married, are opening as a guest house the manor house she has been left and predictably their four guests are an oddly assorted bunch: the childishly troubled Christopher Wren, Mrs. Boyle whose every word is a complaint, the mysterious Miss Casewell and the reserved Major Metcalf. Soon they are joined by the volatile Italian Mr. Paravicini (whose car is buried in a snowdrift) and Detective Sergeant Trotter and his skis.

So there they all are in a remote manor/guest house, cut off by a violent snowstorm, with the news that the murder is London is connected with a child abuse/murder case at no distance from the manor and the victim was simply the first of Three Blind Mice. All are caught out in lies – which of them is the lethal liar?

Joelle Dyson and Laurence Pears are perfect as the charming, but rather ineffectual, hosts who could have stepped in from an Aldwych farce; as suspicion clouds their love, they bring the right touch of intensity to their exchanges. As Christopher Wren, Elliot Clay, with his habit of launching himself onto sofas and bobbing out from behind curtains at the height of a murder enquiry, has fun, as does Kieran Brown’s Mr. Paravicini, full of sardonic mockery. Gwyneth Strong attacks the sour-faced stereotype Mrs. Boyle with never a hunt of a smile, leaving the two apparently normal ones as the tensely secretive Miss Casewell and the dignified Major Metcalf, both well played by Essie Barrow and Todd Carty. As Sergeant Trotter, Joseph Reed spends much of the second act trying to marshal the others for the grand revelation, determined but increasingly frantic.

The Mousetrap is not a great play but, played as it is at a cracking pace, it’s a very jolly two hours of stage time, Agatha Christie at her most teasing.

Runs until 11th March 2023, before continuing on tour.

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charleshutchpress

The art beat of YORKshire

REVIEW: Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap, Grand Opera House, York ****

Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap, 70th Anniversary Tour, Grand Opera House, York, snowed in until Saturday, 7.30pm nightly plus 2.30pm Wednesday and Saturday matinees. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

PLEASING symmetry finds Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap retaining its habit of playing the Grand Opera House every three years since the mouse first escaped its London trap for a Diamond Anniversary Tour in 2013.

Giles and Mollie Ralston (Laurence Pears and Joelle Dyson) may be novice hosts at the newly opened Monkswell Manor Guest House, but the furniture and wallpaper at this converted Berkshire manor house look suitably well-worn to match a comfortingly ageing play in its 71st year, still featuring the original set design with its grand entrances and closed doors, wood panelling and faded carpets.

Snow is falling, denoted by somewhat large, sporadic flakes on coats and hats, as each guest arrives, greeted by thoroughly decent, off the cuff, somewhat grouchy Giles and very organised Mollie, who turn out to have something of Fawlty Towers’ Basil and Sybil about them in their mutual point scoring.

This is old England where rationing still simplifies the menu; the radio informing of a murder in London is still called a wireless, and every man wears a dark coat, a light scarf and a felt hat (just like the chap seen exiting the scene of the crime apparently), in an early nibble at a false trail. The audience’s laughter is of the knowing kind, happy to be played by Christie’s mind games.

Christie has assembled a rum assortment of guests ripe for both humour and something altogether darker. “All our guests are unpleasant or odd,” Giles will later observe ruefully of this eccentric bunch.

Enter schizophrenic young architect Christopher Wren (Elliot Clay), a practical joker with a streak of Peter Pan in his refusal to grow up, outwardly charming but crazed inside.

Next come sourpuss old stick and former magistrate Mrs Boyle (Gwyneth Strong, with a bristling performance to match that surname); brusque lesbian Miss Casewell (a clipped Essie Barrow), and sinister Mediterranean man of mystery Mr Paravicini (Kieran Brown, parading his Barricade Boys singing chops too).

He is the only one to arrive without a booking, his car having overturned in the snow, or so he claims, but then again, he could be casing the joint. Brown’s melodramatic performance, deliberately dodgy accent to boot, is just about straight, but like Clay’s Wren, he is all the more humorous for straying towards campery.

Sanguine Major Metcalf (Nicholas Maude, understudying the unavailable Todd Carty all week) fits in well. Then whoosh, last through the door, or rather, announcing his entrance with a tap on the window, is young Detective Sergeant Trotter (Joseph Reed), who has defied the inclement weather on skis. In another gentle bend to humour under Ian Talbot and Denise Silvey’s direction, he swings them around his head, forcing guests to duck each time he turns.

Once the guest house and phone line are both cut off, the humour begins to play second fiddle to the mystery (except for Brown’s mischief-making Mr Paravicini) as Reed’s Trotter conducts his investigations with rising frustration.

The truth will out, revelation by revelation, as to why everyone is there. All the while, the nursery rhyme refrain of Three Blind Mice plays its haunting part in Christie’s venerable story.

The Mousetrap, anachronistic English Fifties’ entertainment to the conservative manner born, is not the greatest play ever written, with a little stiffness in the dialogue’s limbs and an afternoon nap in its tempo in the second half. 

However, without today’s gruesome gore, it is jolly good fun, replete with the requisite twists, turns and teases, suspicions and suspense, allied to psychological nous, to keep you guessing in the dark as the nerves tingle.

The affable cast members, with their dapper dress and plummy accents, have a period flavour about them that delights, and no rotter will surely defy Trotter’s request at the final curtain to keep schtum about whodunnit.

By Charles Hutchinson

The Mousetrap 2021

The mousetrap - 2021 - west end history , info & more.

Ambassadors Theatre

AGATHA CHRISTIE’S THE MOUSETRAP is the world’s longest-running play. This thrilling West End production – which has become as much of a London icon as Big Ben or Buckingham Palace – is THE genre-defining murder mystery from the best-selling novelist of all time… case closed! As news spreads of a murder in London, a group of seven strangers find themselves snowed in at a stately countryside guesthouse. When a police sergeant arrives, the guests discover – to their horror – that a killer is in their midst! One by one, the suspicious characters reveal their sordid pasts. Which one is the murderer? Who will be their next victim? Can you solve the mystery before another “mouse” goes SNAP? For almost 70 years, AGATHA CHRISTIE’S THE MOUSETRAP has kept millions of people from every corner of the globe on the edge of their seats. HAVE YOUDUNNIT **Important COVID Entry Requirements** -------------------------------------- **Mask** We recommend that you wear a mask while inside this venue. **Covid safety** This venue has additional Covid-19 safety measures in place to ensure the health and well-being of the staff, performers, and guests.

The Mousetrap - 2021 - West End Cast

Cassidy Janson

Tony Timberlake

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The Mousetrap was the very first West End production up and running again (post-lockdown) last night. Yesterday BroadwayWorld's Tom Hayden Millward (@WestEndReporter) interviewed the show's producer (Adam Spiegel) and two members of the 'All Star' West End cast, who are helping to relaunch it, at the St. Martin's Theatre.

Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap - the longest running show in the world, which had been due to resume performances at The St Martin's Theatre on Friday 23 October - is to have its reopening postponed.

Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap - the longest running show in the world, which had to be suspended when the Coronavirus Pandemic resulted in the closure of UK theatres - is to re-open in the West End on Friday 23 October.

According to London Theatre Direct, The Mousetrap by Agatha Christie has extended its run in the West End once more. It is now booking through November 2020 at St. Martin's Theatre.

THE MOUSETRAP, Agatha Christie's legendary whodunit, is still going strong at St Martin's Theatre after more than 60 years in the West End. This classic thriller is the longest-running show, of any kind, in the world - yet the ending remains a closely guarded secret from those that haven't seen it. Book tickets here from £17.50

Louise Jameson (Doctor Who, EastEnders, Doc Martin) will star as Mrs Boyle in the record-breaking 60th anniversary tour of Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap from January 2016. The beloved murder mystery will begin the 2016 leg of its tour at Nottingham Theatre Royal on 19 January before visiting more than 25 further venues across the UK. Further casting will be announced in due course.

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Agatha Christie’s THE MOUSETRAP is the world’s most successful and longest-running play. Since opening in London’s West End in 1952, this classic murder mystery has had millions of theatregoers on the edge of their seats.

In 2022, THE MOUSETRAP will celebrate an astonishing 70 YEARS onstage. To mark the occasion, we are inviting the world’s most esteemed theatres and producers to join us in an epic global event.

We will be licensing 70 productions of THE MOUSETRAP in countries across the globe, in as many languages as possible, as part of our 70th Anniversary Season.

the London production has provided an exceptional benchmark for the universal magic of well-crafted live theatre. We now invite you to be part of this amazing legacy by presenting your own production of THE MOUSETRAP, envisioned and brought to life by the extraordinary local artists who light up your stages.

Agatha Christie is the world’s best-selling novelist of all time, with an estimated 2 billion books sold. Besides having written the world’s longest-running play, she is also the only female playwright to have ever had three plays running simultaneously in London’s West End. Her books and plays have been adapted into countless TV series and award-winning films including Death on the Nile, which returns later this year in a remake starring Kenneth Branagh and Annette Bening.

And yet over the years, THE MOUSETRAP has become more than just a play. It has evolved into a can’t-miss destination for visitors from every corner of the globe, a joyful rite of passage for theatregoers of all kinds, and an enduring family tradition shared across generations.

Perhaps the reason THE MOUSETRAP appeals to a wide range of audiences and age groups lies in its clever dramatic formula. The iconic set-up, which has inspired countless other murder mysteries, puts audience members in the position of not just passive observers, but active participants.

Nothing’s quite as fun as playing detective from your seat, knowing every colourful character is a suspect, and trying to piece it all together yourself in real time. It’s deceptively simple… and simply genius!

our 70th Anniversary Season, you’ll not only be celebrating THE MOUSETRAP’s incredible journey — you’ll be taking your place in theatre history. And in doing so, you’ll become an integral part of the global theatre community’s bright, connected future. 

with any questions or to discuss licensing please contact your local agent in your territory

On behalf of the entire team, thank you for reading, and we look forward to welcoming you to the wonderful world of Agatha Christie’s masterpiece, 
THE MOUSETRAP.

Adam Spiegel, Producer

Additional Information

St. Martin's Theatre, West St, London WC2H 9NZ © The Mousetrap 2022 | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | Terms & Conditions

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Travel and Lifestyle Blog about Yorkshire and Beyond

The Mousetrap at The Grand Opera House York AD|

When I heard that The Mousetrap was coming to the Grand Opera House, York , I jumped at the chance to attend the press night showing.  I am not a big Agatha Christie fan, but I was very curious to see the longest running play in the world!  The Mousetrap has been staged continuously for 70 years! 

I don’t want to give too much away about the storyline (and of course I won’t tell you ‘whodunnit’!)  But I can say that the play is set in post World War II England.   A newlywed couple have opened a guest house, and on a snowy night have several unusual guests staying with them.  When one of the guests is murdered, it is up to the police sergeant – and you – to decide who did it!

It’s a classic, traditional piece of theatre that builds tension as it goes along with several surprises on the way!  It’s a beautiful set and the cast delivers a compelling performance.  There are not many seats left – so book tickets now if you want to see it in York!

The Official Bit:

The Mousetrap , the longest running play in the world, will launch a major new tour of the UK and Ireland this September. The genre-defining murder mystery from Agatha Christie, the world’s best-selling novelist of all time, will visit over 70 venues across the country, including all cities to which it originally played 70 years ago, plus many more.

This 70 th Anniversary tour marks the first of many ways that The Mousetrap will be celebrating its extraordinary milestone year.

Adam Spiegel , the producer of The Mousetrap, said: What better way to celebrate 70 glorious years of The Mousetrap by taking Agatha Christie’s world-famous whodunnit to over 70 towns and cities throughout the UK and Ireland. A true British classic, this beloved tale of intrigue and suspense is as enthralling today as it was when it first opened in 1952 and I am thrilled that audiences, of all ages, and from all corners of the country, will have the chance to see it in their local theatres.

Following its 1952 premiere touring production, The Mousetrap opened in the West End where still to this day, it continues its record-breaking engagement at the St Martin’s Theatre having been performed there over 28,500 times, selling over 10 million tickets.

A full tour schedule, further information, theatre listings and ticket purchase through the website MousetrapOnTour.co.uk

As news spreads of a murder in London, a group of seven strangers find themselves snowed in at Monkswell Manor, a stately countryside guesthouse. When a police sergeant arrives, the guests discover – to their horror – that a killer is in their midst. One by one, the suspicious characters reveal their sordid pasts. Which one is the murderer? Who will be their next victim?

The Mousetrap is produced by Adam Spiegel Productions and Directed by Ian Talbot OBE.

Tickets from £13 at www.atgtckets.com/york

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The Mousetrap

• Mon 16 Sep → Sat 1 Mar London, St Martins Theatre The Mousetrap View tickets

Ride through Upstate NY wine country with the only rail bike history tours in the U.S.

• Updated: Sep. 14, 2024, 10:57 a.m.
• | Published: Sep. 13, 2024, 9:02 a.m.

Ride through Finger Lakes wine country in Upstate New York with the Finger Lakes Rail Riders, which offers historical rail bike tours. Provided photo | Finger Lakes Rail Riders Provided photo | Finger Lakes Rail Riders

• Sunny Hernandez | [email protected]

An Upstate New York rail bike company is offering a workout with a historical twist on its rail bike rides—the only one of its kind in the U.S.

Finger Lakes Rail Riders in Penn Yan claims to be the only rail bike company in America which provides a historical narration of the area as you pedal through some of the most beautiful landscapes in Upstate New York’s wine country .

They were also awarded a Tripadvisor’s Travelers’ Choice Award earlier this year, according to an announcement on their Facebook page .

At FLRR, riders will travel in pairs, with a solo seat option to ride with the guide, along a mostly flat five-mile path . The two-hour excursion includes a 25- to 30-minute narration of Yates County history, delivered with a humorous touch by your guide through a two-way radio on each bike.

Think Disney’s “Jungle Cruise,” but Upstate New York style.

Over the course of your journey, you will see working farms, relics from the railroad that was once there, and a one-room Mennonite schoolhouse. Participants are encouraged to ask questions along the way.

See rail bike companies across Upstate NY

Rail bikes are a unique way to see the state's beautiful landscapes.

“People can come and ride on existing railroads that have been here since 1851,” founder and owner Kathy Ferron told RochesterFirst. “They can get a little exercise, they can see some beautiful scenery — Yates County is an absolutely spectacular place to see.”

While in the area, visit some of the finest Penn Yan has to offer in the Finger Lakes , including paddling on beautiful Keuka Lake , and not one, but two award-winning ice cream spots, The Spotted Duck and Seneca Farms .

FLRR rides run Sunday through Tuesday and Friday through Saturday from now until October 29. The cost per two-seater bike is $88 and there is no age limit to how young or how old a rider has to be.

One person can pedal for two, as long as their fitness level allows it.

FLRR answers more questions about their rides on their website FAQ page .

Rail bike options have grown over the years, giving some abandoned railroad tracks new life by allowing passengers to travel down them on two or four person machines. There are several companies across Upstate New York which offer different kinds of excursions and experiences. Some even offer pet-friendly rail bike tours.

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