- Di von Essen
Whodunit? Agatha Christie's 'The Mousetrap' Snares Newcastle
After a local woman is murdered, the guests and staff of Monkswell Manor find themselves stranded (during a snowstorm, of course) in the remote, Victorian-era estate that has recently been converted into a guest house.
It soon becomes clear that the killer is among them, and the seven strangers grow increasingly suspicious of one another. A police detective, arriving on skis, interrogates the suspects:the newlyweds running the house; a spinster with a curious background; an architect who seems better equipped to be a chef; a retired army major; a strange little man who claims his car has overturned in a drift; and a jurist who makes life miserable for everyone.
If this tale sounds familiar, you’d be right! It’s the plot of Agatha Christie's famed The Mousetrap, which will be performed at Newcastle’s Civic Theatre from 11 to 25 May.
Reprising their roles from last year’s triumphant sell-out capital city tour are Helpmann Award winner Alex Rathgeber (Anything Goes, The Phantom of the Opera) as Giles Ralston, the husband of the new owner of Monkswell Manor; legendary performer Gerry Connolly (Cyrano de Bergerac, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui) as Mr Paravicini, an unexpected visitor at the manor; and one of Australia’s most renowned stars of stage and screen, Geraldine Turner (Wicked, Present Laughter), as the seriously unpleasant retired magistrate Mrs Boyle.
Hannah Fredericksen (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Dream Lover) joins the cast as Mollie Ralston, the young owner of Monkswell Manor. Chris Parker (Mamma Mia, Sunner Rain) plays retired British military officer Major Metcalf. Miranda Daughtry (The Bleeding Tree, Three Sisters) will play Miss Casewell, who remains mysteriously aloof from the other guests, while Timothy Walker (Before the Meeting, The Great) is Detective Sergeant Trotter.
The Mousetrap is directed by Australian theatre icon and former Artistic Director of the Sydney and Queensland Theatre Companies, Robyn Nevin AO. Robyn has played leading roles at all of Australia’s major theatre companies, in London's West End and the US, as well as in films such as The Castle, Emerald City, Careful He Might Hear You and The Matrix films. Costume design and associate set design are by Isabel Hudson, and lighting design is by Trudy Dalgleish.
For over 70 years, Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap has kept millions of people from every corner of the globe on the edge of their seats. It is the genre-defining murder mystery from the best-selling novelist of all time ...case closed! Can you solve this world-famous mystery for yourself? Not without a ticket! Visit www.civictheatrenewcastle.com.au and get on the case!
