What do a classic nursery rhyme, an old English house and a freak snowstorm have in common? They’re all players in a murder.

This week, Airdrie’s Torchlight Theatre will dazzle the stage with their rendition of Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap”.

Originally written for radio theatre, this play has everything you would expect in an Agatha Christie classic, including characters that will make you want to pull your hair out (in a good way, of course).

The scene is set in Western England midway through the 20th century as Giles Ralston and his wife Mollie prepare to open their quaint old English home as a guest house for the first time.

Nerves begin to settle in as the guests arrive one by one. First is Christopher Wren, an eccentric man who is enthralled by the antiquity of the house and the hospitality of the Ralstons.

Next to arrive is Mrs Boyle, who is nothing like the first guest whatsoever. Mrs Boyle irritated already at the cold blast of winter outside does not take too fondly with the house, calling it dusty and drab and whining about the lack of servants as if she expects to be treated like Lady Mary Crawley.

Major Metcalfe is the next to enter the doors, a retired army soldier who...well not much is known of the man through most of the play, but at least he’s grateful to be in the house.

Miss Casewell soon makes her entrance into the house, and while she appears confident and strong, her quiet conversations show that she’s hiding a lot from her childhood.

All of the registered guests arrive when an unexpected knock is heard at the door, prompting the entrance of Mr Paravicini. The Italian man was stranded near the Ralston’s house after his car overturned in the snow.

The Ralstons are able to make room for Paravicini and hope that all will go well for the weekend for their guests. That’s when events take an unusual turn when a policeman named Detective Trotter arrives at the home.

Dazed and confused, the guests learn that the Detective is there to help solve a murder in the town from earlier that week and believes he or she might be hiding in the house.

With everyone now considered a possible suspect, questions arise, tempers flare and the old nursery rhyme ‘Three Blind Mice’ rears it’s ugly head, or in this case heads.

The play is put on local actors with Torchlight Theatre who continue their successful run of bringing quality theatre to the Airdrie stage.

If you're a fan of murder mysteries, suspenseful drama or just old-fashioned people talking in British accents, this play is for you.

Of course, right now, it would be foolish to carry on as the mystery of the mousetrap and Monskwell Manor has only begun.

The production runs from March 15th to the 17th at Torchlight Theatre, at the Victory Church on 3rd Avenue, with two more performances just announced for March 23rd and 24th.

For more details and tickets visit the Torchlight Theatre website

 

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