The year is 1952. A snow storm descends on Monkswell Manor, a charming countryside guest house run by newly weds Giles and Mollie Ralston. As they await guests, the wireless radio in the background reports a gruesome murder in Culver, London. The suspect has reportedly fled, unidentified. As guests arrive, a second murder happens and a third is suspected. Detective Sergeant Trotter and the residents are completely isolated by the snow storm and must discover the murderer in their midst before it is too late.
This storyline is far from unfamiliar to those who have lapped up Agatha Christie’s works through childhood. The Mousetrap , which was originally written as a short radio play Three Blind Mice , was immortalised as a theatre production in 1958 and has since played continuously in the heart of London’s West End for 67 years. Six decades later, the play has seeped into London’s cultural paradigm. And, now it prepares to tour India through Chennai, Bengaluru and Mumbai.
Ahead of its performance in Chennai, artistic director of The Mousetrap Denise Silvey speaks to MetroPlus about how this West End production gained the status of a classic.
The Mousetrap has been running successfully for 67 years now. Has it changed over the years, at all? If so, how?
The play has changed very slightly over the years. It was modernised a bit with references to TV licences rather than wireless licences, and drug smuggling rather than smuggling Swiss watches. It was referenced as being set in ‘Christie time’. This didn’t really work and we felt that it was much better as a period piece. Now, it is back to the script that was used back in 1952 and is set in 1952. There is a clause in the original contract, that no screen version of the show can be adapted until six months after the show terminates in London.
The story has been immortalised by Christie’s writing. Since it has travelled far and wide, and over many years, have you ever felt the need to lend a contemporary spin to it?
No, I believe part of the charm of the piece is that it is set in a kind of Britain that no longer exists. Also, if we updated it, I doubt it would hold up. The whole premise of the story is that eight people are snowed up in a house and the telephone line has been cut so no one can be contacted. If we updated it, someone would have a mobile phone and would be able to contact the outside world, so there would be no story.
To keep the play fresh and relevant, the cast changes every six months
To that end, Do you consciously incorporate tweaks to make it relatable to different audiences?
We don’t deliberately incorporate tweaks but occasionally we ‘play down’ certain parts that may not be relevant to audiences outside Britain. This is less of an issue performing in India, however. Agatha Christie is such a universal brand that I think she is more or less understood worldwide.
Do you encourage the cast to improvise in terms of dialogues or scenes, during rehearsals?
We always have a limited amount of time for rehearsals but I do try to incorporate a little improvisation wherever possible, especially to build up the relationships between the actors and their characters. I always like to understand each character’s back story and why they feel that they have come to Monkswell Manor. Initially, we read the play and then block it so we know the basic mapping of the piece. Then we work on each scene individually, discussing why these scenarios are happening and what the characters are thinking and feeling throughout. Then we finally put it all together and we have a play!
What are the elements that the audience should look forward to, in terms of physicality, music, choreography, and so on?
One of the many charms of this piece is its historical elements. The pre-show and interval music was recorded for the original production. The radio announcements were recorded by a well-known British actor of the time called Derek Guyler. Both the music and the actor’s voice have been digitised by our sound designer, and sound like they were recorded only the other day. A couple of years ago, Guyler’s son came to see the show, and was rather emotional after hearing his father’s voice.
India is unfamiliar to West End as an industry. What are the unique factors that make a West End production?
The West End have many varied productions on at any one time, but all they have in common is the high quality of the pieces. There are a lot of large scale musicals as well as plays. The Mousetrap is the longest running West End production ever. In fact, it became that in 1958. It is also a little piece of British history, along with the tower of London and Madame Tussauds.
To keep the production fresh and relevant, we change the cast every six months and the director every three years or so. Each actor and director bring their own take on the show.
The Mousetrap will be performed at the Sir Mutha Venkatasubba Rao Concert Hall from November 8 to 10. Tickets available on Bookmyshow.
