The Mousetrap

The world's longest-running West End show

When The Mousetrap first opened at the Ambassadors Theatre in 1952, Agatha Christie thought it would run for a mere eight months at the most. Today, this suspenseful tale stands as the longest-running play in the history of London's West End and enters its 70th year. Continuing its run at the St. Martin’s Theatre until 30 January, The Mousetrap has become as much of a London icon as Big Ben or Buckingham Palace.

The Case

In a remote part of the countryside, cut off by the snow, seven strangers find themselves trapped in a stately guesthouse. What’s more, there’s a killer among them. One by one, secrets are revealed in a murder mystery that has kept audiences on the edge of their seats for almost 70 years.

Behind The Scenes

The Mousetrap started life as a radio play, Three Blind Mice, written as a birthday present for Queen Mary in 1947. It has since been translated into 27 different languages and performed in over 50 countries around the world. And while it may be the world’s longest-running play, the audience are sworn to secrecy, meaning the only way to discover the killer’s identity, is to get your hands on a ticket.

It has defied the inevitably mummifying process of more than 25,000 performances and still possesses an uncanny precision worthy of the mistress of murder's chilling geriatric creation, Miss Marple.

Caroline McGinn, Time Out

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Image: A performance of Agatha Christie's play 'The Mousetrap' at the Ambassador Theatre in London, England, c1960.