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Wed 27 Aug 2008
"The Mousetrap" now booking to 16 May 2009
Agatha Christie's long running thriller The Mousetrap , announces a new 6 month booking period covering performances from 3 Nov 2008 to 16 May 2009 at the St Martin's Theatre
Directed by David Turner, The Mousetrap's plot is one of the West End's best-kept secrets, and audiences are requested to keep the identity of the killer locked in their hearts.
Originally written as a radio play, the world's longest running play has now chalked up over 20,000 performances.
Over ten million people have been to see the
Agatha Christie classic since it opened on 25th Nov 1952 with Richard Attenborough and Sheila Simms in the
leading roles. Since then over 336 actors and actresses have appeared in the
play, which has been presented in 44 countries and translated into 24
different languages.
In 2000 the set was replaced for the first time during the run at St Martin's Theatre, still to the same design as the original. This task was completed over a weekend without the loss of a performance.
In the world's
worst film deal, the movie rights to The Mousetrap were sold in 1956 - with
the proviso that the film could not be released until six months after the
end of the London stage run.
One actor, David Raven, played Major
Metcalf for 4575 performances from July 1958 to November 1968.
Nancy Seabrooke, understudied
the role of Mrs Boyle for 6,240 performances for 15 years, ending in 1994. She appeared 72
times.
Agatha Christie became a Dame of the British Empire in 1971; she
died on the 12th January 1976 aged 85.
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