It seems like a lot of theatrical productions are ringing in New Years Eve by setting up the newest legs of their tours and capitalising on the Summer Holiday audiences. For Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap, which producer Crossroads Live Australia will commence touring across Australia later this year, it will commence its Adelaide season at Her Majesty’s Theatre starting 31 December 2022. This will take place in-between the Brisbane season at QPAC (Starting 3 November 2022) and the Melbourne season at the Comedy Theatre (Starting 17 February 2022).
Those interested in nabbing tickets for the Adelaide season are encouraged to visit the show’s official website and sign up for the waitlist. Pre-sales are set to commence tomorrow, with general public sales commencing Friday 9 September 2022.
’m thrilled that The Mousetrap will play in my hometown of Adelaide, and the overwhelmingly positive response to the Australian tour to celebrate the 70th anniversary. Robyn Nevin has assembled a stellar cast for this new production of an enduring and much-loved murder mystery. Will you solve the mystery and pick the murderer?
John Frost – Producer
The Mousetrap had its world premiere on 6 October 1952 at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham. After a brief tour, it opened in London’s West End on 25 November 1952 at the Ambassadors Theatre, where it ran until 23 March 1974. It immediately transferred to the larger St Martin’s Theatre next door, and continues to this day, with over 28,500 performances to date.
Agatha Christie originally wrote the story as a short radio play entitled Three Blind Mice, which was broadcast in 1947 as a birthday present for Queen Mary. She eventually adapted the work into a short story before again rewriting it for the stage as The Mousetrap. Ironically, Christie did not expect the play to run for more than a few months and stipulated that no film of The Mousetrap be made until at least six months after the West End Production closed. And here we are so many years into the future, without that film adaptation.
The Mousetrap follows the guests and staff at Monkswell Manor, who find themselves trapped inside due to a snow storm and the corpse of a local woman indicating a murder was afoot. It soon becomes clear that the killer is among them, and the seven strangers grow increasingly suspicious of one another. A police detective, arriving on skis, interrogates the suspects: the newlyweds running the house; a spinster with a curious background; an architect who seems better equipped to be a chef; a retired Army major; a strange little man who claims his car has overturned in a drift; and a jurist who makes life miserable for everyone. When a second murder takes place, tensions and fears escalate. This record-breaking murder mystery features a brilliant surprise finish from the foremost mystery writer of all time.
The Australian Cast of The Mousetrap
| Character | Actor | Other Notable Productions |
|---|---|---|
| Mollie Ralston | Anna O’Byrne | My Fair Lady Love Never Dies |
| Giles Ralston | Alex Rathgeber | Anything Goes The Phantom of the Opera |
| Christopher Wren | Laurence Boxhall | As You Like It Jumpy |
| Mrs Boyle | Geraldine Turner | Present Laughter Don’s Party |
| Major Metcalf | Adam Murphy | Shakespeare in Love Aladdin |
| Miss Casewell | Charlotte Friels | Professional Stage Debut |
| Mr Paravicini | Gerry Connolly | Cyrano de Bergerac The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui |
| Detective Sergeant Trotter | Tom Conroy | Jasper Jones My Brilliant Career |
| Standby | Jack Bannister | Romeo and Juliet Lysa and The Freeborn Dames |
| Standby | Elisa Colla | My Fair Lady Wicked |
| Standby | Chris Parker | Daylight Savings The Club |
The Australian Production Team of The Mousetrap
| Individual | Role |
|---|---|
| Robyn Nevin | Director |
| Isabel Hudson | Costume Design and Associate Set Design |
| Trudy Dalgleish | Lighting Design |
| John Frost | Producer |
