With plenty of suspenseful twists and turns, Agatha Christie’s ‘The Mousetrap’ creeps into the Sheffield Lyceum Theatre this cold, but alas not-so-snowy, November. With ‘The Mousetrap’ being the longest-running West End Show, now on tour to celebrate its 75th anniversary, it’s an understatement to say that it keeps audiences coming back for more year after year. Although no secrets shall be revealed in the following review, I myself left mildly surprised, yet mostly unsure as to what to make of the final few minutes of the show, having to look around the audience to make sure the show was indeed over. With visually pleasing, balanced direction by Hannah Chissick, produced by Brian Fenty, it is certainly what one could only describe as a “classic murder mystery”.
‘The Mousetrap’ tells the story of a couple, Mollie and Giles Ralston, who open Monkswell Manor guesthouse. As visitors to the guesthouse arrive, they begin to be shut off from society, as a heavy snowstorm encroaches upon them. News of the murder of a woman in London circulates, and soon, Detective Sergeant Trotter calls and visits the manor, claiming that a notebook left by the murderer states someone staying there is to be the next victim. Tensions grow, suspicions rise, and secrets locked away for years slowly come to light. As they continue to blame one another as though they are blind mice, the murderer continues to hide amongst them in plain sight.
The technical aspects of this show were the highlight for me. Despite being used to the bright colours of musical theatre, I was pleased to see a more dramatic, but still well-fitting use of lighting design from Nic Farman. I particularly found pleasure in the use of flickering lamps and silhouettes, for more visual texture.
As for Roger Furse and Anthony Holland’s set itself, I would say it is widely recognisable and iconic, with gorgeous Victorian-esque features. During the show, Major Metcalf comments on how the architecture is very interesting, and I couldn’t agree more. There’s consistently something new to see, but the window depicting falling snow (which I initially believed was a screen) is a truly remarkable set piece.
Mike Thacker’s sound design never faltered or lacked throughout the performance, and Caroline Hannam’s costume design was chic, consistent and coordinated.
However, technical elements aside, I was less so convinced with the show itself. I was disappointed to see it had quite the typical quick turnaround, one that I have experienced in stage thrillers before. It felt as though all of this pressure had built up and yet, after the climax, there was substance to the resolution. The cast worked as well as they could with the source material given.
Mollie Ralston is in safe hands with actress Mollie Laing. Initially, I felt as though her performance was overly animated and almost over-the-top – stereotypically theatrical. However, over the course of the show, it seemed to mellow out, and she had several raw, shining moments. Giles Ralston was played by understudy Ben Gresswell, who got a sweet round of applause from the company and audience at the end. He did a nice job with the role and had believable chemistry with Laing, but some emotional scenes felt flat.
Thomas Barrett as Christopher Wren brought light to the darkness of the play, but the excessive nature of the character choices started to become physically exhausting and distracting. Alfie Richards’ Detective Sergeant Trotter felt appropriate, and he flaunted his variety in tone and emotional delivery well. Susan Penhaligon as Mrs Boyle, Nicholas Bailey as Major Metcalf and James Peake as Mr Paravicini all demonstrated fabulous comedic timing and all put an acceptable effort into their accents. Clare Duffy as Miss Casewell was a decent fit for the role, doing a good job when called on. I did notice some scenes being a bit clunky or oddly timed by the cast, but these issues were negligible taking into account the show as a whole.
The performance was an enjoyable experience but lacked a thrilling spark that gets your heart racing that I can’t quite put my finger on. Apart from this, ‘The Mousetrap’ is a substantial theatrical performance, which shows off the skills of a handful of talented actors every show.
Agatha Christie’s ‘The Mousetrap’ is running from Tuesday 3rd November to Saturday 7th November at the Sheffield Lyceum Theatre, with tickets and more information available at: https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/events/the-mousetrap-2026 The UK and Ireland tour then continues, travelling to Waterside Theatre in Aylesbury next and ending in Wycombe Swan Theatre in High Wycombe in 2027, with tickets and more information available at: https://themousetrap.com/uk-tour/
Reviewer: Natalia Prucnal
Reviewed: 3rd November 2026
North West End UK Rating: