Agatha’s murder mystery finally makes it to Sydney

Next year, Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap celebrates its 60th year on the London stage.

Next year, Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap celebrates its 60th year on the London stage.

This criminally entertaining romp set in the remote Scottish countryside has never been seen in Australia before, and independent theatre producers Barry Fitzgibbon and Michael Lewis have secured the rights for the Australian Premiere production opening at the Zenith Theatre in Chatswood playing for 10 performances only from tonight (March 31).

Following the success of Rope last year, the spine tingling Zenith Theatre Murder Mysteries series returns in 2011 with The Mousetrap. 

Agatha Christie’s famous murder mystery masterpiece has been tricking and teasing theatregoers for generations.

It’s bleak midwinter. Snowstorms are threatening. New proprietors of a remote country guesthouse nervously prepare to welcome their first guests. A group of travellers discover, to their horror, that there is a murderer in their midst. Who can it be?  One by one the suspicious characters reveal their murky pasts until at the last, nerve-shredding moment the identity and the motive of the cold-blooded killer is finally revealed. A cracking yarn and an irresistible treat for amateur sleuths everywhere!  Can you figure out “whodunnit” before the curtain comes down?

On securing the rights to stage the first ever professional production in this country, Fitzgibbon said it was a tremendous honour.

“Forty years ago I saw The Mousetrap in London, thought it was a great example of a typical Agatha Christie play (clues, surprises etc) and remember being asked by the cast at the end never to tell anyone whodunnit,” Fitzgibbon said.

“I never did tell in forty years… and then I saw that the rights were available in Australia for the first time ever as part of a celebration of 60 years on the London stage, so I bought them as a perfect fit for the North Shore theatre going public… an intelligent, witty script which invites the audience to think about what is going on and to guess the outcome.”

Experienced theatre director Adrian Barnes has assembled a terrific professional cast for this production.

“I have feelings of elation, fear, overwhelming joy and terror. All the usual things that go with being asked to direct one of the most famous pieces of theatre ever, and an Agatha Christie to boot,” he said.

“The opportunity to create a piece of work that is entertaining, imaginative, full of suspense and all told through a darn good Agatha Christie tale is every director’s dream.”

Willoughby City Council is co-producing the production and Willoughby Mayor, Pat Reilly said: “It is an absolute honour that the Australian Premiere of such an iconic play will take place right here in Willoughby.”

The show stars Shannon Ashlyn, Sonia De Domeneghi, Robert J Edwards, Louise Fischer, Kieran Foster, Kim Knuckey, Brett O’Neill and Peter Talmacs.

The play is on until April 9. Bookings: (02) 9777 7547.