Agatha Christie’s ‘The Mousetrap’, the murder mystery penned by the acknowledged master of the genre and the world’s longest-running play, has opened at the Prospect Playhouse.
Audiences will be taken on a journey of suspense and mystery along with the guests staying at Monkswell Manor, a bed and breakfast, in the middle of a snowstorm, at which a murder takes place. Ranging from an architect to a retired general, each guest is under scrutiny as an investigation looks to determine whodunnit.
Paul de Freitas, theatre manager at Prospect Playhouse, home to the Cayman Drama Society, told the Compass that the release of world performing rights for amateur societies to put on ‘The Mousetrap’ were announced in a newsletter they receive.
“Erica Ebanks, Cayman Drama Society chairman, and I thought it made sense to immediately bring the world’s longest continuously running play, at over 70 years, to our wonderful Cayman audience. 18 hours later, our application to perform it was granted.”
A cast of new faces
This production is special to him, de Freitas said, because “I have been able to work with a number of firsts. We have had two observing directors, Tracey Burns and Alena Valiaeva, watch Erica and I at work – we hope that they will be directing their first productions soon.”
‘The Mousetrap’ has a running time of 2 hours and 20 minutes, including a 15-minute interval. The cast comprises Hayley Reid as Mollie Ralston; Gabriel Bodden as Giles Ralston; Chris Armstrong as Christopher Wren; Fiona Pimentel as Mrs Boyle; Jim Wrigley as Major Metcalf; Nicola Robyn Galvin as Miss Casewell; Samuel Jacques-Cloutier as Mr. Paravicini; and Simon Amos and Tariq Johnson sharing the role of Detective Sergeant Trotter.
“We had a cast in which seven of nine were going to perform for the first time in a CDS production on the Prospect Playhouse boards – a wonderful pool of new actors. And we had time to fit in lighting console control training for two youngsters who, as a result, will be able to assist lighting designers by manipulating and recording the settings required in the lights console.”
Setting ‘The Mousetrap’
“Erica Ebanks, my co-director, and I like to audition six months before opening night. This gives the selected cast time to learn their lines prior to the start of rehearsals – it is awkward to perform with a script in your hand.”
De Freitas said the set design took a number of hours of volunteer work, with the stage featuring wood panels instead of wallpaper, and a plain versus patterned floor. It also included real everyday items, with tapestry, lighting and sounds appropriate for the nature and period of the play.
“We wanted to create a set which looked the part, but re-used standard theatre components such as wall flats, stairs, fireplace and so on. We hope our audiences will agree that we have succeeded. Theatre is costly – and we are an amateur society; recycling is built into everything we do.”
The actors’ perspective
Although new to the CDS stage, actor Hayley Reid (Mollie Ralston) has performed before, from school productions in Cayman to starring in ‘The Nutcracker’ while at university, according to her cast biography.
Ahead of the opening, Reid told the Compass it’s her second time starring in ‘The Mousetrap,’ and is “thrilled to revisit Monkswell Manor and share this intriguing, whodunnit with all of you”.
“It’s been a wonderful experience, and I feel so happy to be back on a stage. Behind the scenes, it’s so much fun, we have a lot of fun… we bond. I’ll admit – we’ve irritated Paul a couple of times because we all spent so long trying to remember our lines,” Reid chuckled.
For newcomer Samuel Jacques-Cloutier, who plays Mr. Paravicini, a mysterious stranger that appears at the manor and gets in a bit of trouble, it was his children’s involvement in the CDS acting workshops that inspired him to audition.
“It was a challenge,” he said. ‘I also have a horrible memory or at least I think I do, and learning a script for a two-hour-long play was a personal challenge for me.”
He added, “The cast, the experience, the feeling of group and community is fantastic. I think I’ll know these people for a long time to come.”
Jacques-Cloutier’s favourite part: “I like being the problematic character in the play…. it’s very fun.”
“I am very proud that our entire cast of mainly newbies put on such convincing performances in our two dress rehearsals,” de Freitas said.“I am also proud that our theatre management committee volunteers, with an average age of 75, was able to build such a large but pretty set.”
De Freitas added, “Audiences can expect to see a very professional and enjoyable play with a difficult-to-guess ending in company with so many of their friends and acquaintances with them in the auditorium… and with our plays selling out, we hope that more people will take out membership so as to avail themselves of early booking opportunities.”
‘The Mousetrap’ is being shown Thursday, Fridays, and Saturdays 7-9, 14-16, and 21-23 March, starting at 7:30pm at the Prospect Playhouse. For tickets and more information, visit the Cayman Drama Society website.
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