Review: THE MOUSETRAP BY AGATHA CHRISTIE at Attleboro Community Theatre

The Attleboro Community Theatre kicked off its 67th season in style with Agatha Christie's "The Mousetrap", a play said to be the longest running play of any kind ever, and you can see why.

Snowed in at Monkswell Manor, a guesthouse in the English countryside, the house becomes a stage for a group of strangers who suddenly find themselves surrounded by murder and mayhem.  Once one of the group is murdered, tension rises and suspicion falls to each house guest as Sergeant Trottier, played by Chase Struss (No Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple to help this group out!) methodically researches each guest and their own history, as he uncovers dark secrets from their pasts that come to light leading to unexpected twists and turns throughout.  

The snowed-in crew does a wonderfully job jelling with each other quickly but it doesn't take any of them long to begin to turn on their newly-introduced friends once murder is involved.  Emily Rizza plays the protaganist Mollie Ralston, whose decided to rent their guesthouse with the help of her husband of one year Giles, played by Christopher Francis.  Ryan Vigneau is a standout in the production, playing a flamboyant Christopher Wren whose secrets come back to haunt him; as is Alyce Fitzgerald who plays a wonderful crotchety old woman who can't be made happy no matter what; and lastly Mark Carter who plays the mysteriously funny Mr. Paravicini and harbors the best diabolical laugh I have heard in many years!  Rounding out the cast of 8 is Bruce Church as the wise Major Metcalf and Maggie Scarborough as Miss Casewell.

The Mousetrap first appeared as a play in 1952 and ran a whopping 68 years and only Covid could stop it, starting another string once the limitations subsided in 2021.  One of Agatha Christie's most endearing mysteries, created as a short story for Queen Mary, "The Mousetrap" has one of the best twist endings I've ever seen, to the point that at the end, the actors ask the audience not to spill the beans on the ending to anyone else.  You'll understand why once you go.   

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