The
Mousetrap
Agatha Christie
 |
| The Cast of "The Mousetrap" |
For as much as any one of us decries the awful
acts of gun violence we hear about on a near-daily basis, who among us does not
like a juicy, suspenseful murder mystery?
And who is better to tell such a tale than the master herself, Agatha
Christie, the most-published novelist in history and the playwright with the
world’s longest, continuously running play.
With over 25,000 performances in London alone and thousands more on
stages around the entire globe since premiering in 1952, The Mousetrap now arrives at Shotgun Players to end in magnificent
fashion its 25th season, one that has featured only women
playwrights.
And what a production Shotgun has created! Walking into the theatre, we are greeted by
the cozy entry room of a countryside English inn, Monkswell Manor, with its
angled corners and tall windows, figured wall paper, roaring fireplace, roller
desk, and comfy looking furniture.
Outside of Mark Hueske’s high-ceiling set, we can see a blowing snowstorm
and trees drooping with flakes’ weight -- all made more realistic by his
excellent lighting design. Throughout
the play, Mark Stines contributes realistic sounds of storms, radio music and
news of the 50s, and even the choking last gasps of a murder victim or
two. Patrick Dooley directs this whodunit
with split-second-timed accuracy of slamming doors, surprise twists and turns,
and cold-nosed guests who arrive bundled in assorted coats and muffs and in
1950s Saturday Evening Post dress, so
deliciously costumed by Valera Coble.
Speaking in various English and European dialects as ably coached by
Lizzie Calogero, a fine cast of quirky characters completes this
picture-perfect setting for a mystery that grabs attention from the opening
sounds of a London murder to the final moments of a surprise revelation of the
culprit’s identity.
Mollie and Giles, newly weds of one year, are
the novice owners of this antique inn (recently inherited from her aunt) with
its cold drafts, banging steam pipes, and multi-storied nooks and
crannies. Megan Trout is the smartly
attired, blonde hostess who nervously and excitedly scurries about on this,
their opening day in the middle of a huge, English blizzard. Her curly-haired, sometimes scowling husband
-- who dutifully shovels snow and chops kindling while still in his tweed coat,
tie, and smart-looking sweater – is played by Nick Medina. Both Ms. Trout and Mr. Medina are always convincing
and sometimes comical in their striving efforts for perfection as new innkeepers
and in their naiveté of just what they have gotten themselves into.
And who could ever be quite prepared for the
array of snow-dusted, shivering guests about to plop through their doorway, all
idiosyncratically peculiar in just the way Agatha Christie can create such
characters? Blasting in full of
questions, with chubby and dimpled cheeks, and with a devilish penchant for
dramatics (all the time hinting rather loudly of his preference for
good-looking men) is Christopher Wren, hilariously portrayed by Nick
Medina. He immediately chums up with
Mollie (dashing to the kitchen to help with dinner); raises the suspicions of
jealous husband Giles; and compares the terrible weather to “Dickens, Scrooge,
and that terrible Tiny Tim.” Following
Wren are the white-haired, matronly Mrs. Boyles (crankily and pompously
portrayed by Trish Mulholland) and the jovial, backslapping Major Metcalf (the
pipe-smoking David Sinaiko). The rather
masculine, reserved, twenty-something Miss Casewell (Karen Offereins) arrives
with a curiously small suitcase and no desire to answer any questions about her
background or hometown. Right on time in
a Christie story, an unexpected guest with no luggage tumbles in (“My Rolls
Royce is stuck in a snow field”). Alex
Rodriguez is Mr. Paravicini, a highly excitable, talkative Italian with an
overly affected, lilting voice; annoying and cackling laugh; and a propensity
for ending his words with exaggerated consonants.
But before the anticipated murder of one of
these seven occupants can occur, one more character on the evening’s playbill
is to pop in. Appearing suddenly in the
front window is a young, handsome Detective Sergeant Turner (Adam Magill). He has come to warn the occupants that the
play’s opening, murdered soul we heard but did not see die in a London street may
be the first of a trio of demises and that the next victim or victims might
well be at this fated inn. The
connection has something to do with a nearby farm where three foster children
were abused some twenty years before and with this inn’s address being on the
murdered victim in London. In the midst
of the young-faced detective’s questioning of all the occupants and at a moment
we, he, or the victim least expect, all lights go out; and what we in the
audience have all been waiting for, occurs.
Down goes a new victim; and the Sergeant’s
investigation gains new priorities as it soon becomes clear to all that
somewhere in the house is the murderer and that someone else may yet be the
intended, third victim. We will soon learn
from him that “You all had opportunity ... Each and every one were alone (at
the time of the new murder).” His
interrogations lead him to conclude, “I almost think you are all guilty by the
looks of you.” All this builds to a surprise
conclusion that has for sixty-plus years of The
Mousetrap history been kept quite secret.
The script has never been published in a book, and despite tens of
thousands of audience members, all departing audiences have been dutifully sworn
to secrecy, having been fully entertained by a rippingly good page-turner they
got to watch rather than read.
Shotgun Players has outdone itself in this
picture-perfect rendition of Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap. No more proof
of that was needed for this reviewer than the broad smiles of the departing,
buzzing-with-delight audience.
Rating: 5 E’s
The
Mousetrap continues in an extended run through January
17, 2016 at Shotgun Player’s main stage, 1901 Ashby Avenue, Berkeley. Tickets are available at https://shotgunplayers.org/.
Photo by Pak Han.
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