Long-running West End hit The Mousetrap comes to Sunderland Empire next week (28 February to 2 March) and to Darlington Hippodrome from 29 April to 4 May.
The Agatha Christie mystery has been running in the West End for 67 years and its 60th anniversary tour in 2012 broke all records. The BTG’s Martin Thomasson reviewed it at the Manchester Opera House in October of that year.
The new tour, which opened in at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford in January where the BTG’s Sheila Connor reviewed it, stars Gwyneth Strong as Mrs Boyle. The cast also includes David Alcock (Mr Paravicini), Geoff Arnold (Detective Sgt. Trotter), Nick Biadon (Giles Ralston), Lewis Chandler (Christopher Wren), John Griffiths (Major Metcalf), Harriett Hare (Mollie Ralston) and Saskia Vaigncourt-Strallen (Miss Casewell).
Gwyneth Strong is best known for her role in the BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses in which she starred as Cassandra. She has also appeared in EastEnders as Geraldine Clough. Other television credits include The Great Train Robbery, Silent Witness, Casualty, Doctors and Murder in Suburbia. On stage she appeared in the UK tour of Our House and her other stage credits include Stand (Oxford Playhouse / Battersea Arts), Monkey Bars (Unicorn Theatre), A Round-Heeled Woman (Aldwych), When You Cure Me (Bush Theatre), Ancient Lights (Hampstead Theatre) and Care (Royal Court).
First seen in Nottingham in 1952 starring Richard Attenborough and his wife Sheila Sim, The Mousetrap went on to become the world’s longest running stage production following its West End transfer to The Ambassadors in 1952 and to St Martins in 1973 where it has played ever since, continuing a record-breaking run with over 27,500 performances in London so far.