Agatha Christie has been called the best selling writer of all time. Her mysteries appeal to young and old alike, as she paints the traditional English-drawing room mystery and weaves the intricate tales of murder, deception, and intrigue. Her plays are among the most known in the world, with pretty much every theatre having at least one go at the English Dame. I talk a lot in this column about how much I like to see new work and how I think it is important to try different shows. It was because of my personal preference to lesser-known shows that I was fully prepared not to like Spotlight Theatre Company’s production of the well known Agatha Christie show The Mousetrap. In short, I was wrong. Spotlight Theatre Company is known for well loved classics, farcical humor, and crowd pleasing entertainment. Their production of The Mousetrap is a welcome addition to their already long history of strong work.

The plot is classic Christie. Mollie and Giles Ralston are opening their guesthouse, Monkswell Manor, for its first guests. They are new to the business and struggle with the details and an unusually heavy snowstorm. They hear on the radio that a Mrs. Maureen Lyon has been murdered in London and the suspect is wearing a dark overcoat, light scarf, and soft felt hat.  More guests arrive, as does a police sergeant who kindly tells them that the killer is on the loose and all could be suspects.  That is as much as I will tell you about the plot. Of course the fun is trying to figure out who did it.  

Nils Swanson and Molly Killoran; Photo by Meg Ralph

This was the Spotlight directorial debut for Clint Heyn, and it definitely shows that Heyn has a great future as a director in front of him. The direction was tight, the characterizations were clear, and he even made the most of what I have often called “Christie lulls.” Those are the moments in every Christie play where the detailed exposition takes so long that the play appears to drag on and on. However, Heyn did a very good job of minimizing those slow moments and kept the actors lively and up on their feet, making even the longer speeches more interesting. Of course those moments are still there, a flaw of every Christie script, but I was able to overlook them easily, and it appears most of the audience did as well.

The cast was made up of a few Spotlight company members as well as some new faces. Nils Swanson took on the role of Giles Ralston, with Deana Leinheardt as his wife Mollie. The two were both very strong and believable as a young married couple who, perhaps, didn’t know as much about each other as they thought. Jeff Bontrager’s Christopher Wren was delightfully manic, and though his accent may have fallen in and out a bit, he took the foppish character to a warm and very funny place that was a joy to watch. I was also very impressed with Wade Livingston as Mr. Paravicini. As he smoothly moved around the stage, commanding the audience’s attention with his presence. 

Deana Leinhart, Nils Swanson, and Wade Livingston photo by Meg Ralph

Jack Wefso made his return to the spotlight stage as Detective Sergeant Trotter. He was very impressive as the young sergeant trying to maintain order in a house where the guests are trapped and there is a killer on the loose. The rest of the cast were all equally strong – with Peggy Miller as Mrs. Boyle, Russ Dale as Major Metcalf and Molly Killoran as Miss Casewell.

If you enjoy murder mysteries, then this is a must see. The Mousetrap is regarded as the longest running play in history, and with this production, I can see why. The Spotlight slogan is “Forget your worries and escape for a night of fun.” And this show is exactly that. This is the point of any murder mystery – a simple night of fun. I still have a personal preference to lesser known plays and new works, but Spotlight has shown me that there is certainly room in the theatre community for these well loved classics.