As the longest running play in the world; it can be extremely difficult to review The Mousetrap with any new insight which has not already been shared before.  It is even more difficult to bring a fresh and inspired performance to such a timeless classic. However, that is exactly what the new cast of the 70^th Anniversary Tour of The Mousetrap have accomplished.

There’s rippled excitement tonight at the Royal and Derngate in Northampton for this touring production of The Mousetrap. It is currently on a seven month tour of the UK and I am unsure what to expect.  I may be one of the only people left in the UK who does not know the identity of the culprit in this eponymous murder mystery.

To confirm my suspicions, I ask some of the guests within the sold-out Derngate if they know the secret and am pleasantly surprised to find out that very few people even know the story.  The Mousetrap, it seems, like a Dickens novel, is a play that everyone has heard of, but few have experienced.

The play has a tradition that is beautifully upheld by the final curtain when the audience are invited into the fold as members of the club that now know the secret but should keep it under lock and key.

The play itself is introduced by the revealing of the long red velvet curtains of the main stage which open slowly to reveal a ravishing set showcasing the drawing room of Monkswell Manor Guest House, complete with roaring fire to ward off the snowdrifts outside and oak panelling throughout.   An off-centre scattering of furniture gives the cast ample room to manoeuvre around the set and makes all of the interactions look natural.  It’s  the perfect scene for the inevitable, Agatha Christie hallmark, murder.

To the credit of the design team, they have produced a wonderful set which provides six entrances and exits which are used at such dizzying speed that the audience are never quite sure of who has gone where and when which adds to the intrigue.  Cast members enter and exit with believability and we truly are witnessing a collection of guests thrown together.   

We are first introduced to the guest house proprietors Mollie and Giles Ralston, played by Neerja Naik and Barnaby Jago.  The husband-and-wife couple enter with the intent of hiding something from the other arousing the audience’ suspicions immediately.   Naik, in her role as empathetic hostess, is dazzling but as the plot develops she quietly asserts strength and resolve; a truly wonderful performance.

One by one other guests arrive beginning with the hyperactive Christopher Wren played superbly by Shaun McCourt. McCourt lavishes in the comedic relief and camp flourishes of his character.  Next to enter is acerbic Mrs Boyle, who to much audience nostalgia is played by Gwyneth Strong.  Strong plays the hawk-like Boyle with an understated malice, irritated by everything and everyone in the room.

We are then treated to the arrival of Todd Carty as the blustering Major Metcalf who acts as a foil to the negativity of Boyle, his relentless optimism always on display. 

Lastly, the guest list is completed by the two stand-out performances.  Amy Spinks enters as Miss Casewell.  Spinks imbues the masculine, direct speaking Casewell with the spirit of Amelia Earhart.  Despite having fewer lines, she makes the absolute most of the role. Her pace of delivery and sharp responses are a welcome relief from some of the longer pauses within the play.

Finally, we are treated to the scene-stealing Steven Elliott who musters all of his prestigious stage experience to win the crowd with every line as Mr Paracivini.  His measured cadence reveals an actor positively enjoying himself.  Paracivini doubles as both comic relief, sharing the inner thoughts of the audience with a knowing wink and also heightening the tension by reminding both the cast and audience that danger is afoot at every door and hallway.  It is not unfair to say that each line delivered by Elliott has the crowd tittering in mirth or edging forward in their seats.   In Elliot we have an  actor at the top of his craft playing this audience like a fiddle.

However, whilst the guest list is complete, the cast is not.  A final character, detective Sgt Trotter, played by the confident Michael Ayiotis completes the stage line-up.  Ayiotis admirably opts for a more energetic form of investigating detective.  The anti-Poirot, he moves energetically around the set interrogating the suspects, lambasting others and perceiving others with open, naked suspicion.

It has to be said, the whole cast are wonderful together with a lot of energy and, especially for an opening night, the quality on display is evident.

However, as all opening nights, some small technical issues do slightly mar the experience including a missing sound cue for the wireless radio and telephone but these are quickly rectified for the second act.

The direction, dual-handed by both Ian Talbot and Denise Silvey is very good and, despite the dozens of exit and entrances by actors we are never totally lost as an audience; merely unaware of exactly who might be responsible for the murder since all characters have the opportunity to traverse the set.   However, the final act suffers from some very minor issues including a character’s insistence on using their downstage hand whilst holding a weapon leading to a covering of the face and blocking their own lines.

Overall, all, this version of The Mousetrap is a marvellous testament to the original The Mousetrap, a production that Christie herself did not think would last beyond eight months. The cast perform with style and deserve all the applause for continuing a theatre tradition with a fresh, enjoyable and thoroughly entertaining show. 

The Royal and Derngate, is now under the stewardship of new Creative Director, Jesse Jones, and its investment in quality touring work, like The Mousetrap, demonstrates its ongoing significance as a regional theatre of importance.