The Mousetrap

A SAMUEL FRENCH, LTD. TITLE

The Mousetrap

Full-Length Play, Drama  /  4w, 4m

A snowstorm traps a group of strangers with an unknown killer in the world’s longest running play.

Image: 2020 Court Theatre Production (Michael Brosilow)

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    4w, 4m
  • Duration
    Duration
    More than 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Mystery/Thriller
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult, Senior, Teen (Age 14-18)
The Mousetrap

Details

Summary

Note: Concord Theatricals proudly licences The Mousetrap in many countries around the globe. Please note that in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, this title is unavailable for licensing while the original production continues to play in the West End.

A group of strangers is stranded in a boarding house during a snow storm, one of whom is a murderer. The suspects include the newly married couple who run the house, and the suspicions in their minds nearly wreck their perfect marriage. Others are 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. Into their midst comes a policeman, traveling on skis. He no sooner arrives, when the jurist is killed. Two down, and one to go. To get to the rationale of the murderer's pattern, the policeman probes the background of everyone present, and rattles a lot of skeletons. Another famous Agatha Christie switch finish! Chalk up another superb intrigue for the foremost mystery writer of her time.

History
The Mousetrap was originally presented by Peter Saunders at the Ambassadors Theatre in London on November 25th, 1952. 
Cast Attributes
Keywords
MOLLIE RALSTON
GILES RALSTON
CHRISTOPHER WREN
MRS. BOYLE
MAJOR METCALF
MISS CASEWELL
MR. PARAVICINI
DETECTIVE SERGEANT TROTTER
  • Time Period Present Day
  • Setting The Great Hall at Monkswell Manor; the present. 
  • Duration More than 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • Cautions
    • No Special Cautions

Media

REVIEWS

"The Mousetrap is not a star vehicle; the play and its author are the stars." - The Guardian, Read More

“The amount of people who’ve seen the show in London is about the same as a single show of ‘Downton Abbey.'" - The New York Times, Read More

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Photos

  • The Mousetrap

    Image: 2020 Court Theatre Production (Michael Brosilow)

  • The Mousetrap

    Image: 2020 Court Theatre Production (Michael Brosilow)

Music

  • Musical Style N/A (Not a musical)
  • Vocal DemandsN/A (Not a musical)
  • Chorus Size N/A (Not a musical)

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £85 per performance plus VAT when applicable.
    Performance rights for this title are currently withdrawn in the UK. To be informed as soon as it becomes available in the future, please submit a license application.

Scripts

Available Formats:

Authors

Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie is known throughout the world as the Queen of Crime. Her books have sold over a billion copies in English with another billion in foreign languages. She is the most widely published author of all time and, in many languages, outsold only by the Bible and Shake ...

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