The Mousetrap at Manchester Opera House

A 5-star crime performance with a West End history…

I love Agatha Christie, but somehow The Mousetrap has always escaped me. So, heading into Manchester Opera House, I was in the dark.

No idea whodunit, and certainly no intention of finding out before the cast wanted me to.

Looking around, I did wonder whether a few of my fellow audience members had wandered in from an episode of ITV’s Midsomer Murders.

Only kidding. But this was certainly a crowd who looked ready for an evening of intrigue and murder.

They weren’t disappointed.

There’s something rather lovely about having this particular theatrical institution on Quay Street. The West End on Quay Street, if you like. But a famous name only gets you so far. The production still has to deliver—and for me, it’s this cast who make it work.

Familiar faces and fresh discoveries

There’s a little television and film glamour in the mix, too. Nicholas Bailey, familiar to EastEnders viewers as Dr Anthony Trueman, plays Major Metcalf, while Susan Penhaligon—from Bouquet of Barbed Wire and A Fine Romance—takes on Mrs Boyle.

A few people around me commented on those familiar faces, and it adds to that sense of occasion. There’s something lovely about seeing actors you know from the screen there on stage in front of you.

But this isn’t just about the recognisable names. What I enjoyed was how the whole company made these characters feel so distinct. Everyone brings something to the guessing game.

The cast lean into the camp and the intrigue, which feels exactly right for Agatha Christie. There’s fun to be had with these characters, even while you’re keeping a suspicious eye on them.

Each performer shapes their character so clearly that you begin to feel you know them. Or at least you think you do. Whether you trust them is another matter entirely.

One performance that particularly caught my attention was Thomas Barrett as Christopher Wren. At the interval, I found myself looking through his programme biography. Just a few lines, but after watching him on stage, my thought was: here’s someone to keep an eye on.

He gives Christopher that wonderfully irritating manner, but there’s vulnerability there too. It’s a clever balance: a character who gets under your skin, yet still makes you want to understand him.

Everyone’s a detective

The audience are always part of the fun at the theatre, aren’t they? And with this one, listening to people discussing their suspects adds another layer to the evening.

At the interval, the theories were flowing. People were comparing notes, sharing suspicions and explaining who they thought had done it.

For me, that’s a proper sign of success. The play hasn’t stopped working just because the curtain has come down for the break. Everyone is still turning it over in their heads.

The set does its job beautifully, too. Simple but effective, with the snow outside and that warm fire inside. All those entrances and exits keep your attention moving: who’s coming in now, who’s just disappeared, and what might they be up to?

It’s an inviting room to look at. Whether you’d want to be snowed in there with this particular group is a different question.

Worth finally catching

For my first encounter with The Mousetrap, this was hard to fault. The audience loved it, and so much of that comes down to a cast who give each character a distinct personality while keeping the guessing game alive.

If, like me, you’ve somehow managed never to see it, this production makes a very good case for putting that right.

As for who did it? You’re not getting that out of me.

• The Mousetrap runs at Manchester Opera House until Saturday, 31 October.
• Tickets from ATG Tickets