Longevity isn’t everything—particularly in the theater. The Phantom of the Opera is not the greatest musical ever written. Neither is The Fantasticks, even though they each hold the record for longest running Broadway and Off-Broadway show. Agatha Christie’s 1952 whodunnit The Mousetrap, which opened this weekend at the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, has become a theatrical legend since it opened in London more than six decades ago. It’s still playing to fans in the West End, at the St. Martin’s Theater.
Christie and her estate know a good thing when they see it, and have succeeded in keeping their rodent securely in its trap. No film version will be licensed until the London production closes, and the play began appearing stateside only in 2012, when the original London staging celebrated its 60th year (somewhere around its 25,000th performance).
What is the secret to its staying power? In a sense, it endures because it endured—its longevity has made it a legend, and installed it in the London landscape alongside the Bloody Tower or the Changing of the Guard. Then there’s the whodunit secret—the plea to theatergoers not to reveal the ending, which has held surprisingly fast even in the days of Wikipedia and social media. It is also a devilish good time—Christie’s tricks of the mystery trade are in evidence from the first few moments.
And director J.R. Sullivan knows exactly how to create magic out of Christie’s raw materials. When bringing together her band of eccentrics in a rural, snowbound guest house (the appropriately fusty set by Jack Magaw), keep the wind howling and the mantle clock ticking (sound design by Lindsay Jones). And when it comes to fleshing out the characters, revel in their oddity but keep them just this side of camp. The fact that murder is afoot, of course, means that every gesture might mean something, so be sure there are plenty of conspicuous—but not too conspicuous—details and behaviors. Is the arm of Mrs. Boyle (Laura Gordon) really broken. Did her friend, Major Metcalf (Jonathan Gillard Daly) have anything to do with it? Is that odd Christopher Wren (Brendan Meyer) really an architect who loves fourposter beds? Are Giles and Mollie Ralston (Matthew Mueller and Kelley Faulkner) really the average English couple? Did Mr. Paravicini (Greg Vinkler) really end up at the Monkswell Manor because his car broke down? Why does Miss Casewell (Greta Wohlrabe) stare blankly into space so much? And will Detective Sergeant Trotter (Will Allan) be able to solve the case before the murderer strikes again?
Answers to these and other questions are waiting. And after you discover the answers, you’ll be able to say that you, too, are part of the decades-long tradition of The Mousetrap.
