"The Mousetrap" by Agatha Christie

Nottingham Theatre Royal.

Agatha Christie's classic murder mystery "The Mousetrap", the world's longest running stage play, returns to Nottingham starring three very well-known faces from the small screen. Todd Carty, John Altman and Gwyneth Strong; all three "Eastenders" favourites and Gwyneth probably more recognisable as Cassandra from "Only Fools And Horses" fame. This 70th Anniversary production opens its' tour at Nottingham, where it was first premiered at the Theatre Royal back in 1952, and will tour all over the UK until the end of November 2023, visiting 70 venues.

News spreads of a murder in London, and a group of seven strangers find themselves snowed in at Monkswell Manor, a remote countryside guesthouse. When a police sergeant arrives, the guests discover that a killer is in their midst! One by one, the characters reveal their sordid pasts. Which one is the murderer? Who will be their next victim? Will you be able to guess?

I have seen this play several times but it wasn't until half way through the second act that I remembered who did actually do it!

Joelle Dyson as Mollie Ralston, part owner of Monkswell Manor, along with her husband, Giles. They have recently married and are celebrating their first anniversary, but what a way to celebrate!

Laurence Pears as Giles Ralston. Giles is very protective of his wife and shows more than a hint of jealousy when any one of the guests show any interest in Mollie; well, they have only been married a year, but just how much do they know about each other, and their pasts?

Elliot Clay as Christopher Wren, the first guest to arrive. Wonderfully child-like and camp with a love of nursery rhymes, like "Three Blind Mice". His eyes dart suspiciously around when there is mention of a suspected murderer on the premises. Is that suspicion or guilt though? I must admit that Wren is my favourite character out of all of them and Clay is superb in this role.

Gwyneth Strong as Mrs Boyle. Incredibly bossy and fastidious, she soon makes enemies of the guests as well as the hosts. Could her authoritarian attitude rub the wrong person up the wrong way, or is she there for another reason?

Todd Carty as Major Metcalf and I'll admit that for me, personally, Todd's character acting pleasantly surprised me. I've seen Todd in a couple of different stage roles but the physical and vocal application to the aged Major really made the role instantly believable. Metcalf is pretty nifty, when he wants to be, so is that just his army training or could it be killer instinct?

Essie Barrow as Miss Casewell, who along with Elliott, have both previously appeared in the West End production of "The Mousetrap". One of those strange characters who you just feel is out of place, and makes you wonder why this character is in the play. Could Miss Casewell be a red herring in this fishy tale? And that nervy misdemeanour, is it hiding something else?

John Altman takes on the role of Mr Paravicini. His car has managed to get stuck in snow drift and he is going nowhere. Well, that is the story that he tells as he turns up at the Manor Guest House unexpected, in the middle of a blizzard. Bad luck or well timed? And why is he wearing so much make up? Is he trying to discuise who he really is? And that poor Italian accent is fooling no-one!

Joseph Reed as Detective Sgt Trotter, who arrives to protect and solve the mystery of the Three Blind Mice mystery. His arrival is pretty unorthodox as he arrives on skis. Well, as a car could not get through, this was his only transportation method, but when he discovers, just after his arrival that the phone lines have been cut, he can't report his findings or call for back up, and finds himself as vulnerable as the others!

Directed by Ian Talbot, and anyone who knows me or regularly reads my reviews will know that I love attention to detail, and this production is full of detail. From the snow constantly falling past the windows, the snow shown on the arriving guests, really making us think that they have just come in from out of a snow storm, to the window blowing frantically in the storm and the tinkling piano in the drawing room, situated off stage. Incredibly pacy, and even though the play started five minutes late, it ended dead - no pun intended - on time. It's still as fresh as ever, and still as wonderfully dated

Great costumes, amazingly accurate props, brilliant character acting from the whole cast, showing that all of these actors are at the top of their game. A real treat for all theatre fans, even if you have seen the show before.

"The Mousetrap" is at the Nottingham Theatre Royal until Saturday 1 October.