The cast of The Mousetrap
The production has broken records for its casting durability, but is also no stranger to changes in cast. Since it opened on 25th November 1952, an astonishing 460 actors and actresses have appeared in the play. Some cast members are in the Guinness Book of Records: David Raven as the 'Most Durable Actor' for 4575 performances as Major Metcalf and the late Nancy Seabrooke for a record-breaking 15 years as an understudy.
From Monday 21 November, the cast will be Sara Lessore (The Tempest and A Midsummer Night’s Dream) as Mollie Ralston, George Banks (Coronation Street) as Giles Ralston, Jonathan Tynan-Moss (Doctor Who Time Fracture) as Christopher Wren, Sarah Whitlock (The Mousetrap) as Mrs. Boyle, Philip Childs (Long Day’s Journey Into Night) as Major Metcalf, Phoebe Sparrow (Downton Abbey) as Miss Casewell, Rob Pomfret (The Responder) as Mr. Paravicini and George Jones making his West End debut as Detective Sgt. Trotter.
The legacy of The Mousetrap
Agatha Christie initially believed that The Mousetrap would run for a maximum of eight months. It is now heading towards its 70th year on stage. Conceived by the world’s best-selling novelist of all time, whose work in the English language is the most read behind only the bible and Shakespeare - the show has been performed over 28,500 times in London and has been seen by over 10 million individuals.
The history of The Mousetrap has woven itself into modern London life seamlessly, husband and wife Richard Attenborough and Sheila Sim starred in the initial 1952 production, whilst Queen Elizabeth II attended its 50th-anniversary performance. It marked the official reopening of the West End on 17 May 2021, after the Covid-19 lockdown. Due to its incomparable legacy, The Mousetrap has helped in cementing Agatha Christie as a household name.
The story of The Mousetrap
As a group of seven strangers are snowed in at a remote countryside guesthouse, the news of a murder travels across London. When a police sergeant arrives at the house, the guests soon conclude that there is a killer amongst them. Within a haze of panic and paranoia, seedy secrets of the past are revealed. With several questions lurking on the tongues of the untrustworthy guests; who is the killer and who will be next?
For over 70 years Christie’s murder mystery has kept audiences’ feverishly on the edge of their seats. Can you find the killer?
The creatives of The Mousetrap
Written by the iconic Agatha Christie, The Mousetrap is directed by Ian Talbot OBE. Denise Silvey is Artistic Director, with costume supervision by Janet Hudson Holt, and production by Adam Spiegel and Sir Stephan Waley-Cohen.
The Mousetrap tickets are available now
How will this thriller reach its epic conclusion and who will make it out alive? Find out in the 70th anniversary of the longest-reigning show of all time.