It first opened in 1952 in London's West End and now the world's longest-running play is back in Manchester. Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap is simply iconic, something you have to see at least once, so will tonight's performance live up to the hype? At the centre of the whodunnit are seven strangers who find themselves snowed in at a remote countryside guesthouse, unaware at first that there is a killer in their midst and that it is one of them who has committed a murder in
London. Monkswell Manor makes for an impressive and atmospheric set and the characters are just as pleasingly dramatic. READ MORE: 'The 90s were the last great youth movement - people are still after that nostalgia and hedonism' Todd Carty, of TV's EastEnders fame, makes an entertaining and very believable Major Metcalf, while Shaun McCourt as Christopher Wren is amusingly impish, much to the annoyance of the other characters, particularly the curmudgeonly Mrs Boyle, played by Gwyneth Strong, former star of TV's Only Fools and Horses. Todd Carty, of TV's EastEnders fame, makes an entertaining and very believable Major Metcalf (Image: Matt Crockett) All parts were played well, although the somewhat long-winded inquisitions - albeit the nature of the beast - made it difficult for most of the cast to really shine. The questioning of suspects is of course central to the play, but the dialogue would, I'm sure, benefit from a little tweaking to make the detail more palatable. There is a healthy dollop of humour as well as suspense, with Steven Elliott as the Count Dracula-esque Mr Paravicini adding another dash of mischief to proceedings. "He is more worried about my sadistic intentions than my dishonourable ones", he chuckles, when guesthouse owner Mollie's (Hollie Sullivan) husband Giles (Barnaby Jago)
protests at the offer of the strange 'foreigner' to help his wife in the kitchen. Mrs Boyle is played by Gwyneth Strong, former star of TV's Only Fools and Horses (Image: Matt Crockett) The plot is good, if a little hard to follow and it's delightfully hammy. As a murder mystery, it definitely does what it says on the tin but of course, according to theatre tradition, the exact details of what happens can not be revealed... Whether you like a bit of Agatha Christie and fancy yourself an amateur sleuth, or just fancy an entertaining visit to a bygone era where the eccentric, well-heeled characters speak in classic
BBC voices while trying to cast suspicion on one another for an evil deed, you'll likely enjoy yourself. You'll also probably find yourself humming Three Blind Mice for days to come.