The wonder.
The mystery.
The Mousetrap.
While the ending may be the world’s best-kept secret, there’s no wonder or mystery that it is London’s longest-running performance in The West End. This Agatha Christie stage play is loaded with intrigue, deception, suspense, and— of course— mystery. And it’s now appearing on The Audrey Herman Spotlighters Theatre stage, directed by Paul Saar. With edgy moments of suspense, thrilling moments of spine-tingling terror, there is much to be said for this true Christie classic.
Resident Scenic Designer Alan Zemla has transported the in-the-square space with its load-baring support columns directly to Monkswell Manor— an Old Victorian Manor house situated in the English countryside circa 1957. It’s the dead of winter, so all of the characters of the text keep informing us, but as the audience only ever experiences the manor’s interior, we must rely on their constant complaints of cold and being ‘cut-off’ by the snow to know for certain that the play takes place during the ‘miserable months’. Zemla does a fine job of sending the set to this remote place removed from present day, particularly in the use of his in-built Wainscotting that edges the house to enclose the set. Tired painting, aged furnishings, Zemla gives the scenery a thorough once-over with a shade of “yawny-yesteryore.” And he works the challenging performance space to the best of his capabilities; there are some seats in the house where the arch that leads to the ‘front staircase’ or the window to the front won’t be seen, but suspend your disbelief and imagine that such blocked vantage points add to the suspense of not knowing what’s happening. (Or scope out your seating accordingly— tickets are open-seating, arrive early and find a seat that gives you a good view of both the window and the archway.)
Costume Designers Margaret Masucci and Catherine Hilgartner appropriately outfit the company in period pieces, with their most successful endeavor being on the ‘second’ outfit for Mollie Ralston. That claret-colored dress with the micro white polka dots, belted at the waist creates the illusion of modest money without pretention or poverty. And the frilly mustard colored apron is the perfect accent piece to offset the look. While none of the other costumes standout in such a dazzling way, Masucci and Hilgartner have done their job in setting the late 1950’s English vibe across the board, preventing the costumes from detracting too much from the action on stage. They deserve an extra nod of praise for that outrageous wig featured on the Christopher Wren character, which adds to the quirky and hilarious nature of his existence.
The only major flaw with the performance, aside from the languid, meandering accent-train of most of the performers (and there’s no dialect coach credited in the program, and for most of the production, many of the performers have some sort of accent that could be identified as ‘vaguely English’ and for good portions of the evening, most of the characters are consistent in their accent delivery), is the vocal projection from the cast. This is most notable with the actor playing the Mollie Ralston character. Particularly when this actor’s physicality turns inward, so does her vocal projection, leaving sentences that trail off into inaudibility. A few of the other actors have this issue as well, which at times makes some of the more subtle lines difficult to hear. Projection issues aside, Director Paul Saar runs a tight ship, keeps the performance moving along at a well-paced clip, and has heightened moments of excitement peppered throughout, the way one might expect in an Agatha Christie performance. (There are a couple of moments where certain character interactions feel glaringly over-obvious, but this may only be noticed by those who have read or seen The Mousetrap from beginning to end.)
The play starts by introducing the audience to the Ralstons— Mollie (Margaret Masucci) and Giles (Dagan Brown.) The pair are married, just one year, and have inherited through Mollie’s late relation, an old Manor House which they have opened as a Guest House (for those unfamiliar with 1950’s England— think AirBNB with live-in hostesses who cater to the guests.) And like most Agatha Christie stories, weather plays a factor, other zany characters get brought into the mix, and course— there’s murder. The audience is introduced to the other characters one by one, in true Christie style, and suddenly it’s a full-house, snowed-in, and *gasp* the telephone line has been cut! (That doesn’t spoil anything; it’s actually rather expected in an Agatha Christie.)
Dagan, as the rather feisty Giles Ralston, is quite present when it comes to existing on stage. It does take a good while for his character to find his footing and gain the traction necessary to feel as if he’s really a part of the wildly unwinding plot, but that’s on Christie’s writing and not the director or the actor in this case. Ralston is one of the few actors who does not suffer the dreaded “vocal trail-off” even when ‘whispering’ and finds ways to really let you understand his feelings, particularly when it comes to his wife, Mollie. As the aforementioned wife, Margaret Masucci does a brilliant job at expressing that overworked sense of being fraught with worry and fear. Masucci delivers the stereotypical ‘worried woman’ of the 1950’s when it comes to having a potential murderer on the loose or in her house. Her facial expressions are well-tuned to delivering these looks of anxiety.
Rounding out those now in residence at Monkswell Manor include the obstreperous Mrs. Boyle (Terri Laurino), the reclusive but sharp-tongued Miss Casewell (Kaitlin Ruby), the reserved but easily rattled Major Metcalf (Darren McGregor), the spastically unsettling Christopher Wren (Mark Wallace), and the unusual Mr. Paravicini (Glen Charlow.) This bizarre assortment of characters adds depth and intrigue to the performance overall and one would expect no less from an Agatha Christie production. Ruby, as the rather snappish Miss Casewell brings a lowkey zest to the character, zinging at Mrs. Boyle one moment and cloistering off when being interrogated the next. Darren McGregor’s punchy moments, particularly when mocking the Sgt. Detective (after his arrival, of course. One cannot mock a character that has not yet arrived!), feel thoroughly developed in earnest. There is a great temptation to play the Major Metcalf character a lot like the highly affected ‘Colonel Mustard’ and McGregor deftly avoids this trap, giving the Major a much more realistic presence on stage.
Glen Charlow as Mr. Paravicini is the quintessential cuckoo who appears to arrive merely to stir up chaos. Place him against the bombastically explosive energy of Mark Wallace’s Christopher Wren and you’ve almost got a proper British farce on your hands. Charlow’s accent— intentionally vague and meandering— adds to the enigmatic nature of his character. The way he wiggles his (very obviously) false mustache, the way he affects his mannerisms to be just on the edge of unusual but perhaps merely foreign, all add to the delight of watching him on stage. But when it comes down to the true comic crown of these characters, that belongs on the head of Mark Wallace. Possessed of a frenetic sizzling energy that just comes flying out of his character’s mouth whenever he zips into a room, Mark Wallace has the Christopher Wren character literally leaping and bounding all about the set. His comic timing is precise, his facial expressions are hilarious, and he is the epitome of comic outlier in an otherwise quite serious Christie suspense-thriller.
Sgt. Det. Trotter (Andy Belt) arrives on the scene— on skis no less— as these detective types often do. Belt has the most impressive accent of all the actors on stage; it is very clearly hardened English (though specificity of region certainly comes into question, it has a solid 1950’s English-Agatha-Christie sound, if you can imagine such a category for dialect) and it is delivered with flawless consistency throughout he performance. The sheer levels of agitation to which Belt rises playing Sgt. Det. Trotter is impressive; his character grows increasingly more impatient trying to impart to the guests and residents of Monkswell Manor the level of clear and present danger headed their way. He is severe and serious and holds his own, featuring as the character with the majority of the on-stage scenes.
Ultimately a wonder and rather impressive, The Mousetrap is an enjoyable evening of theatrical delight. Agatha Christie’s can be difficult to do well, particularly at the community level, but this production exceeds expectations and provides a lovely evening of suspense for theatergoers of all ages.
Running Time: Approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes with an intermission
The Mousetrap plays through May 1, 2022 at The Audrey Herman Spotlighters Theatre— 817 St. Paul Street in the historic Mount Vernon neighborhood of Baltimore City in Maryland. For tickets call the box office at (410) 752-1225 or purchase them online.
