The world’s longest-running play is coming to the Renton Civic Theater. Agatha Christie’s murder mystery, “The Mousetrap,” opens today (Friday) and runs through March 12.
The theater is at 507 S. Third St. The classic whodunit takes place shortly after World War II ends. A young couple married a year inherit a farmhouse, which they open as a guest house. Opening night a huge snowstorm hits and the guests, who’ve recently arrived, are snowed in. They hear about a murder that’s happened in London and a policeman shows up, telling them there’s going to be a murder there.
That’s the plot of “The Mousetrap.”
The play has been performed on the London stage since since Nov. 25, 1952. It originally started out as a radio play, which Christie developed into a stage production.
“The reason I wanted to do it was because it was so much fun, so rich in history and people just love this play,” said Curt Hetherington, director.
Everybody in the show can be sympathized with or hated, he said, depending upon where the audience takes the play.
Hetherington treats the play as a true ensemble cast. Some might identify character Mollie Ralston, the young wife, as the lead, because she’s the first one on stage.
“But I think we’ve developed their characters and their attitudes and manners such that the audience will be able to identify with them very well,” said Hetherington.
No changes have been made from the original script.
The play incites laughter and tension, the director said. The murder scenes are “done in such a way that hopefully people get a little frightened,” he said.
The show, which is for all ages, just finished a successful run in Bellevue. There were audience members from age 7 to 90.
All of the actors are local, coming from Olympia to Mukilteo and points in between.
Hetherington saw “The Mousetrap” in London during its 52nd anniversary in 2004. He thinks that his actors are definitely on par with the previous version he’s seen.
“The way they’ve developed their characters, the work we’ve done to put into this to make it really work, has been just fantastic,” he said. “I’m very happy with it.”
THE MOUSETRAP
WHEN: Feb. 25 – March 12, 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays
WHERE: Renton Civic Theater, 507 S. Third St., Renton
COST: $22/$17 seniors and students
