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Mousetrap

Mousetrap was written by Agatha Christie and first opened in 1952 at the New Ambassadors Theatre in London’s West End. The musical has been running on the West End ever since and carries with it many traditions. The play was written to be performed and performed only. However, the play is based on a short story and has never been published in the UK at the request of the author.  

Agatha Christie is adamant that the ending of the play should be concealed from all members of the audience that are yet to see the play until the end hence the story not being published whilst the play is still performed on the West End. The cast of the play are changed annually which creates a different experience for the audience. The play is a murder mystery set in the countryside and has been performed over 23,000 times. However, the play has strict contracts that ensure that the play is only performed once a year outside of the UK. This makes the West End performance of the play quite a novelty and certainly harder to obtain tickets for. The play is currently running at St Martins Theatre where it has been since 1974.