Stage Dragon: The Mousetrap – Yvonne Arnaud Theatre

Published on: 31 Jan, 2019
Updated on: 1 Feb, 2019

By Ferenc Hepp

The packed audience in the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre enjoyed a vintage treat on Wednesday night at the press show, opening the UK tour of The Mousetrap, by the immortal Agatha Christie.

This version, produced by Sir Stephen Waley-Cohen and Adam Spiegel, is spreading the spell of the longest-running West End show that opened in London in 1952 and has racked up nearly 27,000 performances there.

The action is in the Great Hall of Monkswell Manor, set in the early Fifties on its opening day as a guest house run by young couple Giles and Mollie Ralston. As always since 1952, before the curtains open we hear the murder of Maureen Lyon, then reported on the radio.

The Arnaud set is first-class, with lots of oak panelling, an ornate fireplace, and the dated furniture of the day. The stage crew working on this tour must earn their money to put all this together, but it is very much worth it. The realistic setting helps us to get completely absorbed into the action.

Harriett Hare and Nick Biadon enjoy an excellent chemistry as Mollie and Giles, and they display a wide range of emotions throughout, from love, domestic bliss, as professional hosts, and with arguments and distrust.

Guests arrive at the Manor, most of whom are expected, apart from Mr Paravicini (David Alcock), there only because his car overturned nearby in heavy snow. In fact, the snow is mentioned so regularly that it makes us wonder if it has anything to do with the plot twist.

The booked guests are Christopher Wren, played by Lewis Chandler, whimsically camp as the “joker in the pack” and providing most of the humour, the ever-complaining Mrs Boyle by Gwyneth Strong, the pompous Major Metcalf (John Griffiths), and the straight-talking Miss Caswell (SaskiaVaigncourt-Strallen).

Gwyneth Strong as Mrs Boyle

Wren’s description of Mrs Boyle as a “perfectly horrible woman” sums up her performance perfectly and Strong is fantastically abhorrent as Boyle. In fact, she reminded me of the awful Mrs Richards from Fawlty Towers.

Giles quickly grows a dislike towards Miss Caswell and calls her a “terrible female, if she is a female” which Vaigncourt-Strallen nails perfectly. But a very special mention must go to Geoff Arnold as Sergeant Trotter, sent to Monkswell Manor to handle the murder and who has to work out what connection (if any) the owners and the guests have to the deceased woman in Paddington.

He employs a variety of methods to try to solve this case, ending with the twist which we, as the audience, cannot possibly reveal, having been sworn to secrecy. It is a solid performance by Arnold which keeps us gripped completely from the moment he arrives on the scene.

Agatha Christie would have been proud of the whole company, perfectly cast for their varied and wonderful roles, brilliantly directed by Gareth Armstrong and making impeccable use of the whole stage area and setting.

I would very much recommend catching this either this week at the Arnaud or on tour irrespective of whether you have already seen it in the West End.

The Mousetap runs until Saturday, February 2 and tickets are available via the website: www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk or by calling the box office on 01483 440000.