Stage Review - The Mousetrap (Tacoma Little Theatre)

Stage Review - The Mousetrap
Presented By: Tacoma Little Theatre - Tacoma, WA
Show Run: October 18 - November 10, 2024
Date Reviewed: Thursday, October 18, 2024 (Opening Night)
Reviewed By: Greg Heilman

Here in the US, when we hear the name Agatha Christie, we immediately think of something like Murder on the Orient Express, or Death on the Nile, or even And Then There Were None. Overseas, though, you might get a different reaction. The Mousetrap, Christie’s 1947 radio play turned short story turned longest running play in the history of the West End and the most performed in the world, has so much lore around it, you’d think the Queen of Crime herself created an entire universe unto the play. Why the short story can’t be released in the UK (it has been in the US), why there is only one performance other than the West End run allowed in the UK each year (no such limitation in the US), and why there hasn’t been a film made, are all well documented and are facts that give the play a life of its own, beyond its on stage presence. Given its popularity overseas, and the fact that American theaters can produce it at will, The Mousetrap has been something that seems to be on many theatre schedules every few years or so. Truth be told, the latest, on stage at Tacoma Little Theatre in a production directed by Frank Roberts and running through November 10, is the first version of The Mousetrap that I’ve seen start to finish. The last one that was on my radar was one that I was in, back in 2017 at Bremerton Community Theatre, so it was nice to see the show in its entirety as an audience member, and thankfully this version does not disappoint.

In theaters without curtains obscuring the stage, I typically enter the theatre and peruse what I can see of the set, to give me a taste of what I’m about to see. In the case of The Mousetrap at TLT, I knew right away that I had seen the same level of detail, the same precise placement of props, and the same overall quality of presentation before. Of course I had seen similar quality before, with previous Sound on Stage award winners Blake R. York (Scenic Design/Visuals) and Jen York (Scenic Artist) responsible for what I was seeing as their version of Monkswell Manor, where the entirety of the play takes place. At the center of it all is the Great Hall, a desk to stage right, fireplace to stage left, sofa in the middle flanked by two armchairs of different styles, two doors leading to other rooms in the manor and a staircase leading up to where the boarding rooms are. You see, Giles and Mollie Ralston, a newly married couple have decided to open up their home to lodgers, this being their opening weekend, so to speak, and when a storm snows them and their guests in, with no way to leave, and they receive a phone call from the police telling them that they’re all in danger, well, you can see it’s quite the opening for them, and what transpires after is classic Christie. All of the guests who arrive, the flamboyant Christopher Wren, the gruff codger Mrs. Boyle, the ex-Army soldier Major Metcalf, the eccentric Miss Casewell, and the exuberant Mr. Paravicini, all have something to hide, and something that leads the audience to believe that they could, and have, committed murder. Oh, did I mention there’s a murder? What Agatha Christie story would be complete without one? But before we get into these characters and the actors who portray them, one last point on the set. From the audience’s perspective, toward the back of the stage and out a set of French doors, is the outside, pine trees, snow falling. Not the real outside, of course, but a visage projected using TLT’s modular digital screen. Each play it seems they use the display differently, and here Blake uses a piece of it to depict the exterior of Monkswell Manor. How good is it though? It’s not just static, or just trees with snow falling around them, but the scene changes, the sun peeks through and then it becomes gray again. If you’ve ever sat inside and looked out at a scene with snow falling for a considerable amount of time, it’s exactly what you’d see. It almost feels cold when it’s gray and when it gets brighter, that conflict between the cold in the air and the warmth of the sun is downright noticeable. All and all, this is just another example of the level of quality in the sets that Blake and his team at TLT set out to meet every show.

When the lights come up, it’s all about the actors and their ability to tell this story in a way that is true to a play that has been on stage for 70 years in the West End, while adding their own flair to it. Each character has their own distinct personalities, each with an exterior that belies a secret underneath, something that leads the audience to believe that it could tie each and every one of them to the murder. Giles and Mollie Ralston, proprietors of Monkswell Manor are played by Jacob Tice and Rachel Larkin. I like what Jacob has done with his version of Giles. His Giles has the posture and mannerisms of an English gentleman, just as Rachel’s Mollie is the distinguished lady of the house. That is, until their guests begin to show up and they start to understand the extent of what they have taken on. Second guessing themselves, they each become a little more panicky, Giles trying his best to convince Mollie that she is more than capable, and all the while talking her down. Mollie becomes increasingly frantic as events transpire in the manor house, but it’s not Giles that gives her the confidence and attention she needs, it’s the flamboyant Christopher Wren, played here by Joe DeRosier. Joe as Wren is very good, he’s funny but has a good heart, his use of humor clearly a way of deflecting some underlying frustration at his lot in life. And he’s also a bit flirty with Mollie, Rachel’s character clearly appreciating the attention that she hasn’t been getting from husband Giles. Of course Giles becomes jealous, which leads to some heated and excellently acted exchanges between Mollie, Giles, and Wren. It’s through this jealousy that the couple become suspicious even of each other. From a presentation standpoint, their characters each feel authentic, and costume designer Michele Graves has them outfitted with clothing that fits both in the period when the story takes place, the early 1950s, and for their rank in English society. Further, each actor’s accent is spot on and consistent, and though Rachel’s fingernails may be a little long for a lady of the manor in 1950s England, I’ll give her a pass, her performance otherwise, capturing Mollie’s full range of emotions, her panic, her anger, her fear, and doing so in such a way with a stage presence that commands the audience’s attention, is just superb.

This entire group is very well cast, from Elizabeth Booth as the gruff, nit-picky, and never happy Mrs. Boyle, to the stern and strong Major Metcalf, played by Tim Sherburn, Jill Heinecke’s eccentric Miss Casewell, or Scott Welborn as Paravicini, they’re all solid in these roles. Paravicini caries a lot of the comic relief, as he almost foreshadows the entire play, except of course for the plot twists, building suspense by pointing out the obvious, the group of people snowed in, phone lines down, everyone a suspect, it’s quite uncanny how the character gets under Mollie’s skin especially, and does it with a smile on his face. This is what makes Scott’s performance as the unexpected Italian so good, his ability to drive discord, and do it with a huge grin. Rounding out the cast is Shaun Parker as Detective Sergeant Trotter, the individual the police send up to the manor to protect the Rallstons and their guests, ostensibly because there’s been a murder nearby and the suspect is on the run, with a piece of evidence pointing to Monkswell Manor. Shaun’s accent may not have been as consistent as the other members of the cast, but his portrayal of Trotter is as it should be. He’s the Hercule Poirot here, the one who takes charge in gathering the evidence, interrogating all of the house guests, and invariably makes everyone suspicious of everyone else. This is a character-centric story, and while there’s no real lead here, its strength comes from the ability of the ensemble to understand their entrances and exits, their positions on stage and around each other, and their ability to react to each other and the situations they’re in naturally. Using that alone as a litmus test, the TLT production of The Mousetrap is a winner.

In any Agatha Christie mystery, or any story of suspense for that matter, there’s a lot of responsibility on the shoulders of the creative team to help build or maintain that level of intrigue, in support of the work that the actors are doing on stage. I mentioned the set, the stately Monkswell Manor appointed for the time period of the story, as are the costumes, but it’s the lighting and sound that are often the variables. Designed by Jacob Viramones and Dylan Twiner, respectively, there are no misses here. This also comes down to the operators, Asante Hayes as the sound board operator, is responsible for making sure that the radio turns on and off when cued on stage, as one example. Every cue is well designed and every one on target. When a play has all of its parts working, it’s no wonder The Mousetrap ends up being such a good version of a classic piece of theatre.

There is no shortage of productions of Agatha Christie’s Mousetrap. Being the longest running play in the world doesn’t hurt, but it’s also a classic whodunit by the Queen of Crime, where everyone is a suspect and the audience has no clue how the play will end until it eventually does, after all of its various twists and turns have run their course. Doing this show well requires all of the suspense and intrigue that is classic Christie, but it also needs a cast that has a chemistry together as an ensemble, and that’s exactly what the Tacoma Little Theatre production of The Mousetrap has and why it works so well. It’s well designed, it’s extremely well acted, and that all comes together to make The Mousetrap an entertaining and engaging night out at the theatre.

The Mousetrap runs on stage at Tacoma Little Theatre through November 10. For more information, including tickets, visit https://www.tacomalittletheatre.com/.

Photo Credit: Dennis K. Photography