Review: The Mouse Trap at the Opera House, Manchester

Have you seen the longest running play in the West End? Notice I said PLAY here. We may know that Les Mis is London's longest-running musical, but the longest-running play is The Mousetrap, the murder mystery play written by the one and only Agatha Christie. 

Now it is celebrating its 70th Anniversary (!!) by going out on tour and will soon be finally playing on Broadway as well. 

Now I need to keep this as brief and concise as possible - as similar to Harry Potter & the Cursed Child, it is a long-standing tradition to keep the secret of who did the deed. In fact, the cast said so as much after the performance ended. 

But as someone who was completely new to The Mousetrap, I hope to offer my take on it. 

Set in 1950s Berkshire, over a very snowy few days, a young couple open their new Bed & Breakfast to the public, the Monkswell Manor Guest House. Over the course of the play, we meet and get to know not just the owners, but also the first guests to come through the door. 

One of whom may, or may not, be a murderer. 

In its setting, there's something familiar and classic about it, a nice big hook for the audience to get attached to. And I bet you there will be a different character that sticks in everyone's mind. The trick with The Mousetrap is that it is something everyone loves in a way - a mystery. You get your hypotheses in your head in Act 1, discuss in the interval, and see if you were right in Act 2. 

Did I get everything right? Of course, I am not going to tell you that. 

Is The Mousetrap for everyone? Well, it depends if you like your mysteries, isn't it? 

If you do, defo give this a chance. And see if you get it right. But remember, #keepthesecrets