No, the MAC has not thrown away the arts in favor of becoming the next Ripely's Believe It Or Not! This week it's hosting the Worthington Community Theater's production of The Mousetrap, a murder mystery play that is the Godfather of ALL murder mystery shows.
Written by Agatha Christie, this play is the longest running show (of any kind) in the history of British Theater. (and probably entertainment in general, although I can't fact check that claim) As someone who likes symmetry, I think it's fitting that a show with a historically long run is being put on by one of the oldest Community Theater's in Central Ohio.
The show will run from Thursday through Sunday (March 14-17), playing at 7:30pm Thursday-Saturday and 2:00pm on Sunday. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students (That's so reasonable!) and can be bought at the MAC or through a link on the event's page.
Without giving too much away, here's the story:
There is a murder in London. Four strangers check into the same hotel run by a young couple. They are snowed in. A stranded, strange man arrives. Then a detective on skis. The London murderer may be on his way to the hotel. Someone dies. Maybe the murderer is already here...
My reasoning for wishing I could see this play (and hooray! Maybe FOR THE FIRST TIME I can actually go to an event I write about! Wonders of Wonders!) is simple: I spent two weeks straight playing the Simpson Clue boardgame as a kid.
Murder mysteries are just fun. Why do you think this show is over sixty years old and still going strong? Or why there are so many other variations on the same whodunit? theme? Agatha Christie made a career off of writing them.
Instead of giving you a list of why I'd like to go, I'll give you a list of interesting facts about this play because there are a lot of them.
The Mousetrap Fun Facts:
1. Has a "Twist Ending"
I'm not going to say Christie invented it, but the play has done great PR for the concept. Although there's a small section dedicated to the ending on the Wikipedia page (why try and ruin it for us Wiki!?), I did my best not to read it. Audiences are traditionally asked to not reveal the ending/murder's identity after leaving the show and I would hate to blurt it out on here before you've even gone to the play.
2. It's a Play, Based on a Short Story, Based on a Radio Play, Based...
No really. Agatha Christie wrote a radio play titled "Three Blind Mice" (in honor of Queen Mary's 80th birthday.) That radio play inspired Christie to write a short story of the same name, which laid the groundwork for her to create a longer stage production.
2.5 Extra Fun Fact
Christie requested that the short story, "Three Blind Mice" that inspired the play, not be published as long as the play ran in London. In 1950, it was published in the US in Three Blind Mice and Other Stories, but to this day, it has not been published in the UK.
3. Transforming Three Blind Mice into The Mousetrap
When Christie created the stage production of "Three Blind Mice", a stage play of the same name had already run, prior to World War Two. It's said, Christie's son-in-law, Anthony Hicks suggested she title it "The Mousetrap" after Act III scene II in Hamlet, which is what Hamlet tells another character the name of his play is (it's really The Murder of Gonzago) because it's meant to trap the conscious of the King.
4. It's The Gift That Keeps on Giving
Agatha Christie gave the rights to the play to her grandson, Matthew Pritchard for his 9th birthday. His birthday was about a year after the performance's premiere, Oct. 6, 1952. He's had sole rights to this play (and it's royalties) for sixty years. Best. Birthday. Ever.
5. They Can't Make Everything into A Movie
In the mid fifties a producer, John Woolf, bought the rights to make a film based on "The Mousetrap," under the condition that he wouldn't start production until six months after the show was no longer performed in London. Sixty years later and it doesn't look like we'll be seeing the film version for a while.
6. It's Based on a True Story
Albeit, loosely based, in my opinion. In 1945 a young boy, Dennis O'Neill died while in the foster care of a farming couple. His foster father called a doctor saying Dennis was having a fit. When the doctor arrived he found Dennis in terrible condition and already dead. Dennis was malnourished and badly bruised. It's believed he died of cardiac failure caused by his weakened body not withstanding his foster father's abuse. His foster parents were found guilty of manslaughter through willful ill-treatment, neglect, and exposure likely to cause suffering and injury. This case caused an overhaul in the foster care system in the UK. I'm not sure what aspects of The Mousetrap it inspired, but I admire that Christie made sure it's a story not easily forgotten.
Come out and watch this entertaining play with an incredibly rich history. Maybe, I'll see you there.
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