The Longest Running Show in History
 

When Agatha Christie wrote The Mousetrap in 1952, she thought that the play would perhaps run for a few months. She had no idea that she had just created a murder-mystery masterpiece that would be the longest running show in history. Since its debut there have been over 25,000 performances in London alone.

Artistic Director Patrick Dooley was eager to close our season with this classic. When Mr. Dooley is not reading plays, he is reading murder mysteries by Agatha Christie: “I’ve always had a fascination with suspense. As a child, I loved the fairy tales of children on a race against time to escape the evil witch or bloodthirsty pirate. In early grammar school, I devoured the Hardy Boys series and other youth crime solver stories. A few years later, I stumbled across an Agatha Christie Miss Marple story on my grandmother’s book shelf. I can still remember the musty smell of the pages, the lush, exotic and charming characters, and something new – a brutal murder in a serene and sweet seeming world. I was hooked.”

Why is Christie’s work so popular? Certainly there is the obvious – her plays and novels are so well written, witty, and always include unexpected twists and turns. No one is quite as he or she appears to be. Actors all over the Bay Area were eager to audition for The Mousetrap, which features an eight character ensemble. Nothing is more attractive for actors than to have such well developed, multi-layered characters to portray. Everyone has a secret in her plays and novels.
 

Another common thread with Agatha Christie is the unearthing of injustice. Our sympathy for the murder victim is balanced against the revelation of something horrific that happened in the past. The setting for The Mousetrap is Monkswell Manor, located in the vicinity of Longridge Farm, where three children were abused and neglected many years earlier. Agatha Christie uses her masterful skills with suspense to cast doubt on each character, until the unexpected climax of the play. Not only is the murderer revealed, the full impact of the previous tragedy at Longridge Farm is also revealed. Agatha Christie balances suspense, social commentary, and a dangerous wit all within one play. No wonder The Mousetrap remains one of the most popular plays in the English language.

Photos by Melissa Nigro