REVIEW: The Mousetrap @ The Opera House, Manchester

Louise Jameson (Mrs Boyle) in the 60th Anniversary Tour of Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap. Credit Liza Maria Dawson (2)Agatha Christie’s classic whodunnit, the Mousetrap is back in Manchester this week as the show celebrates its 60th anniversary.

Famous across the world for being the longest-running show of any kind in the history of theatre, with over 26,000 performances in London, you can see why it has endured.

Expertly blending well-timed comic lines with mystery and suspense, it is a typical Agatha Christie offering, which has stood the test of time. The line which get the biggest reaction is the throw away remark about terrible state the country is in.

Set in a country house cut off by the snow, the guests who have been thrown together discover to their horror, that there is a murderer in their midst. OneTony Boncza (Major Metcalf), Oliver Gully (Christopher Wren) and Anna Andresen (Mollie Ralston) in The Mousetrap. Credit Liza Maria Dawson (13) by one, the suspicious characters reveal their sordid pasts until the last, nerve-shredding moment when the identity and motive are finally revealed.

Former Dr Who girl, and Eastenders star Louise Jameson, as Mrs Boyle heads a stellar cast who don’t put a foot wrong in this entertaining thriller.

I  particularly enjoyed Oliver Gully’s performance as the over-the-top and outrageous Christopher Wren, bristling with campness.

I won’t  give anything away, obviously, but I have to share with some pride that I did guess who the murderer was before the big reveal at the end.

If you love a mystery, if you love Christie, this is for you. This Opera House production certainly does it justice.

Runs till Saturday July 2

Dave Toomer

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