Agatha Christie Archives - North West End UK

9Apr

By Katie LeicesterNo Comments

North West

The Mousetrap – The Lowry

The Mousetrap’s 70th Anniversary Tour has arrived at The Lowry Theatre in Salford. ‘The Mousetrap’ is the longest running play in the world which first opened in London’s West End in 1952 and ran continuously until March 2020. After closing its doors for a short break due to the Covid-19 pandemic it reopened in May 2021. Being the longest running play in the world it is hard to bring anything new and insightful to a review of this timeless classic, even after 70 years (and counting) the play performs to packed audiences and The Lowry was no exception as the auditorium was full of Agatha Christie enthusiasts. I must be honest that I had not seen ‘The Mousetrap’ before and didn’t know the story but its one of those plays that everyone seems to have heard of and knows it’s a murder mys...

And Then There Were None – The Alexandra

6Mar

By Peter KinnockNo Comments

West Midlands

And Then There Were None – The Alexandra

When first I read “And Then There Were”, a novel sensibly shorn of its original title, I closed the final page convinced that no one for a thousand pounds could work out how the murder was done. The explanation was so profoundly improbable and bizarrely unlikely as to warrant a well-deserved grunt and a huff and a sigh of incredulity from this reader. However, despite my lowly opinion, the book has found its place as a (if not “the”) best-selling crime novel of all time. Quite a claim in such a packed genre with everyone from Richard Osman to Alan Titchmarsh having a crack. We love murders! We love detectives - be they little old ladies, vain Belgians or high-functioning sociopaths in deerstalkers. This tome by the indisputable monarch of murder, Agatha Christie, (Dame of the British Empi...

8Nov

By Ezzy LaBelleNo Comments

North West

The Mousetrap – Floral Pavilion

What do you get when you combine masterful storytelling and captivating characters? Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap, that's what! The world's longest running play - currently 70yrs old - is still going strong, thrilling theatres and keeping audiences on their toes. It's a classic. Lights dim and the curtains pull back on a stupendously wide set. Time rolls back to reveal the living room of a guesthouse in 1950s England, the ideal setting for a good old-fashioned whodunnit to take place. Christie's unparalleled ability to craft a suspenseful and engaging narrative quickly makes its impact felt. There is a chilling atmosphere of intrigue and mystery from the very first scene. As the tension builds and secrets unravel, the audience is on the edge of their seats, eagerly anticipating th...

30Aug

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

The Mousetrap – Leeds Grand Theatre

North West End UK has a strict no spoilers policy. That’s handy as giving away the twist at the end of this theatrical warhorse would break a solemn pledge made by generations of Agatha Christie fans over the last seven decades. The Mousetrap has been pulling in tourists to its West End production since 1952 just after our late Queen was finding her feet as a monarch, and now it’s out on a national tour celebrating its 70th anniversary. Its record-breaking longevity is even more remarkable as it doesn’t feature Christie’s supersleuths Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot, but it is the classic Christie set up where a group of strangers assemble on a boat or a train and - shock horror - one of them is a murderer. In The Mousetrap our cast of strangers assemble in a rambling country house...

Towards Zero – The Little Theatre, Birkenhead

14Jun

By Bev ClarkNo Comments

North West

Towards Zero – The Little Theatre, Birkenhead

Agatha Christie is ‘marmite’ and for me personally, not something I would spread on my toast, but it is the case that audiences love them, and many amateur theatres will always include one in their catalogue in their season as they know its bums on seats. Carlton Players being no exception, regularly produce her plays and this week its Towards Zero, a complicated mix of the usual group of suspects: house guests gathered in a large house. No surprise there’s a murder, everyone has a motive and finally, by some clever deduction, the police uncover the truth. The script, like all Christie, is pretty static and all exposition and one way a director might approach it is to find the comedy and irony: play it over the top with lots of movement and action. This director didn’t ...

31May

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

The Mousetrap – Sheffield Lyceum

The Mousetrap is intricately crisp with its fearless pace and cannot fail to get you baited and trapped within its mystery. The longevity of a 70th Anniversary tour of Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap speaks volumes as to its appeal for seven decades to British audiences. We do love a good murder mystery in this country! And none better than the ones written by the Queen of Crime Mrs Christie herself. Opening in London in November 1952, this once 30-minute radio play entitled Three blind Mice was now extended into The Mousetrap, still retaining its rodent reference. It is a play anyone can experience, not really frightening, not really gruesome, and not really a farce but a little bit of all these things which perhaps is its recipe for its social appeal. This production is directed b...

Witness for the Prosecution – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

23May

By Katie LeicesterNo Comments

North West

Witness for the Prosecution – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

Director Mike Shaw has delighted us with his production of ‘Witness for the Prosecution’ a play that has been adapted from Agatha Christie’s 1925 short story "Traitor's Hands". Shaw is no stranger to directing some of Agatha Christie’s having directed at least three others previously as well as other whodunnit and murder mysteries. I have not seen any of Agatha Christie’s greats, so I was entering the theatre as a novice and had no expectations of the play itself. The creative team have done a magnificent job on the staging as the set is that of an authentic court room creating the atmosphere of being in the chambers itself. It’s the atmosphere that they have created that makes this a very unique experience; the echoes of footsteps outside the chamber and the grandeur of the Old Bai...

<strong>The Mousetrap – Opera House, Manchester</strong>

29Nov

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

The Mousetrap – Opera House, Manchester

At the conclusion of every performance of Agatha Christie's 'The Mousetrap, the murderer steps forward and asks the audience to 'keep the secret of whodunnit locked in your heart', an appeal that has proved remarkably resilient given that this tour marks its 70th anniversary and it remains the longest continuously running show of any kind in the world. With nearly 29,000 performances since its premiere in 1952 you could forgive audiences if they tired of it, but a packed opening night in the vast Manchester Opera House, is testament to its enduring popularity. Confession time, as a critic who has been attending theatre for well over 40 years, I have never seen 'The Mousetrap', the rodent has eluded me all these years and whilst it will never be on my theatrical bucket list, the complet...

Full Cast announced for UK Tour of Agatha Christie’s The Mirror Crack’d

26Jul

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Full Cast announced for UK Tour of Agatha Christie’s The Mirror Crack’d

Original Theatre are delighted to announce the full cast of their brand new production of Rachel Wagstaff’s acclaimed adaptation of Agatha Christie’s THE MIRROR CRACK’D. The production, directed by Philip Franks, will begin its UK Tour at Devonshire Park, Eastbourne on 8th September 2022. The final members of the cast to be announced are Oliver Boot as Chief Inspector Craddock, Lorenzo Martelli as Guiseppe Renzo, Chrystine Symone as Lola Brewster and Holly Smith in the ensemble. They join the previously announced Susie Blake as Miss Marple, Sophie Ward as Marina Gregg, Joe McFadden as Jason Rudd, Veronica Roberts as Dolly Bantry, Mara Allen as Cherry Baker, Sarah Lawrie as Ella Zielinsky, Jules Melvin as Heather Leigh and David Partridge as Cyril Leigh Oliver Boot’s theatre credi...

4May

By Oliver GigginsNo Comments

Scotland

A Murder is Announced – King’s Theatre

Based on the 1950 novel by the “Queen of Crime” herself, Agatha Christie, the title refers to the murder being announced ahead of time in a local newspaper in a small village, right down to the minute. Though it could be described as a “Miss Marple Story”, in truth the detective-work is split almost 50/50 between her and local police-officer Inspector Craddock. It's also worth mentioning this isn't one of Christie's fifteen stage adaptations of her own work, this one being written by Leslie Darbon. But being based on one of her novels, it does contain many of the genre staples which have, thanks largely to her, become associated with the genre. These include: a small village setting, a plodding police sergeant (here played by Jog Maher), a corpse on the floor (Luke Rhodri), the suspect...