AGATHA CHRISTIE’S The Mousetrap Opens At Hota

WORDS: Danielle Ford PHOTOGRAPHY Supplied

HOTA, Home of the Arts to play home to The Mousetrap in limited season of the iconic play on the Gold Coast In what promises to intrigue Gold Coasters with a stellar cast and masterful storytelling that the world over has come to know, and love will run until June 2, 2024.

Produced by John Frost for Crossroads Live and Shake & Stir Theatre Co, audiences will be taken on a journey set in a remote countryside guesthouse, where the play unravels a tale of mystery and suspense with its unexpected twists and a famously guarded ending,

The Mousetrap promises an unforgettable theatrical experience.

HOTA Director, Programming & Presenter Services, Vicki Buenen says “We are absolutely delighted to bring Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap to the Gold Coast. This legendary play is a timeless piece of theatre that continues to captivate audiences with its
brilliant storyline of suspense. We invite everyone to experience the thrill and excitement of this classic whodunit right here at HOTA, Home of the Arts.”

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, a Victorian era estate that has recently been converted into a guest house. 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 in the US, as
well as 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

The Mousetrap had its world premiere on 6 October 1952 at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham. After a brief tour, it opened in London’s West End on 25 November 1952 at the Ambassadors Theatre, where it ran until 23 March 1974. It immediately transferred to the
larger St Martin’s Theatre next door, where it continues to this day.

The longest-running West End show, it has by far the longest run of any play anywhere in the world, with over 28,500 performances so far. The play has a twist ending, which the audience are traditionally asked not to reveal after leaving the theatre.

Agatha Christie originally wrote the story as a short radio play entitled Three Blind Mice, which was broadcast in 1947 as a birthday present for Queen Mary. She eventually adapted the work into a short story before again rewriting it for the stage as The Mousetrap.
Ironically, Christie did not expect the play to run for more than a few months and stipulated that no film of The Mousetrap be made until at least six months after the West End Production closed. 70 years on, as the show continues its historic London run, a film
adaptation looks unlikely at this stage.

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.

Can you solve this world-famous mystery for yourself? For more information and tickets visit
https://hota.com.au/whats-on/live/theatre/agatha-christies-the-mousetrap