THE MOUSETRAP: A DELIGHTFUL CONTRAPTION

To me, this production of The Mousetrap feels like one of those fantastically diverting mechanical toys I used to get on Christmas mornings — and that I still sometimes give on Christmas mornings. The play isn’t deeply meaningful, but there’s joy in the mechanics — the puzzle, the whodunnit, the game.

The London production, which premiered in 1952, has become by far the longest-running show in the history of the world. Having taken only a brief pause during Covid, it celebrated performance number 30,000 on March 19 this year.

Set post-WWII, Agatha Christie’s script is wittier than you might expect.

Just before the first anniversary of their wedding, Mollie and Giles Ralston have opened their recently-inherited home, Monkswell Manor, as a guesthouse. After they’ve all arrived, Mollie complains to Giles, “It’s very hard that all our guests should either be unpleasant or odd,” and it’s easy to agree, at least in part, with her assessment. Mrs. Boyle, for instance, is a battleaxe who blames the lack of servants in the guesthouse on the failure of the working class to live up to its responsibilities.

Then comes the threat that a potential serial killer may be in their midst. The murderer’s first victim was the wife in a couple who, years earlier, abused three young children in their care to the point that one of the children died. That abuse took place on a farm near Monkswell Manor and a note left at the murder scene included the manor’s address, as well a reference to three blind mice, hinting that the killer might have two more murders on their roster.

Monkswell Manor has been perilously snowed-in, and, shortly after the intrepid Detective Sargeant Trotter arrives — on skis — the phone line is cut. Classic.

I’m going to begin my discussion of director Stephen Drover’s immaculate production at a point that might seem surprising: Nancy Bryant’s costumes, which, in their thoroughness, are emblematic of the care that’s been taken with the entire enterprise.

In terms of time period, we’re talking late forties or very early fifties, so Mollie’s burgundy-and-teal plaid, pleated skirt, which hangs just below her knees, is perfect. Bryant has clothed the fey, wild-haired, would-be architect Christopher Wren, who’s one of the guests, in a short-jacketed suit and too-short, knitted waistcoat that emphasizes his childishness. Another guest, the very lesbian Miss Casewell, strides about Monkswell’s drawing-room in a tailored shirt, vest, and masculine tie completed by full, luxurious trousers. She could have walked out of Vogue. I can’t remember the last time I saw a theatrical costume design this satisfying.

The actors’ characterizations are equally precise and trim. With her spot-on accent and varied, in-the-moment responsiveness, Ming Hudson is a standout in the pivotal role of Mollie. Fresh to the business, Zander Eke is a wonder as Wren, maintaining realistic credibility while wringing full comic value out of Wren’s assessment of the handsome sergeant, “He’s very hearty, isn’t he?” May this young artist enjoy a full and rewarding career! And, although I wouldn’t say it falls completely within the bounds of naturalism, Andrew McNee’s performance as the flamboyant Mr. Paravacini is as delicious as butter: nobody works a comic change of register like McNee does.

I enjoyed all the actors’ work: Beatrice Zeilinger’s haughtiness as Mrs. Boyle, Charlie Gallant’s increasing desperation as Sargeant Trotter, and the alert inner lives that Jay Clift, Melissa Oei, and Anthony Santiago have created for Giles, Miss Casewell, and the final, mysterious guest, Major Metcalf.

The design elements all chime: MJ Coomber’s suspenseful sound; Patrick Rizzotti’s solid, handsome set; Itai Erdal’s lighting, which is subtle when you need it to be and dramatic when that’s what’s called for.

Director Drover has pulled all this together, established a workable sense of style, and, with Erdal, layered expressionistic touches into the melodrama, isolating Mollie and Miss Casewell in individual spotlights, for instance, as the characters debate the advisability of confronting past traumas.

The plot contains a couple of holes so big you could drive London double-deckers through them, but who cares? At the interval, I still had an excellent time comparing my list of suspects with my husband’s and those of the couple sitting next to us.

This production of The Mousetrap is an excellent diversion.

THE MOUSETRAP by Agatha Christie. Directed by Stephen Drover. An Arts Club Theatre production. On the Granville Island Stage until August 24. Tickets and information

PHOTO CREDIT: Ming Hudson as Mollie Ralston and Zander Eke as Christopher Wren. (Costumes by Nancy Bryant, set by Patrick Rizzotti, photo by Moonrider Productions)

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