The Mousetrap

The Mousetrap comes to the Regent Theatre from 1 to 6 March 2027, as part of its 75th Anniversary Tour across the UK and Ireland. It's Agatha Christie's classic murder mystery, and it's one of those plays that needs little introduction—most of us know the name, even if we've never seen it.

There's a bit of a legend attached to it. It first opened at St Martin's Theatre in London back in 1952, based on Christie's radio play Three Blind Mice. It went on under a strict condition: no audience member or press person was ever to give away the plot. Christie herself gave it eight months at most, yet it's run for over 70 years and more than 30,000 performances, making it the longest-running play in London history. A film adaptation is still unlikely, too, because Christie stipulated one could only be made six months after the West End production closes. This tour marks 75 years since that start.

The cast for this run includes Nicholas Bailey as Major Metcalf, Susan Penhaligon as Mrs Boyle, Emily Laing as Mollie Ralston, Jack Hardwick as Giles Ralston, Thomas Barrett as Christopher Wren, Clare Duffy as Miss Casewell, James Peake as Mr Paravicini, and Alfie Richards as Detective Sergeant Trotter, all directed by Hannah Chissick.

It's playing at the Regent Theatre on Piccadilly in Hanley, which opened in 1929 as an Art Deco cinema—one of a family of Regents built around the country. Its white glazed terracotta frontage, with masks of comedy and tragedy at each corner, is still one of the city's handsomest sights. Restored and reopened as a full-time theatre in 1999, it now seats around 1,600. The play runs from Monday 1 to Saturday 6 March, with evening performances at 7.30pm Monday to Saturday and matinees at 2.30pm on Wednesday 3 and Saturday 6 March. Tickets start from £15.60.