Wikipedia reveals the secret of Agatha Christie's 'Mousetrap'
Wikipedia has finally revealed the secret of one of Agatha Christie's famous murder mystery plays, 'The Mousetrap', by identifying the killer.
For 58 years, the identity of the killer in the play, which is "known for its twist ending which at end of every performance, the audience is asked not to reveal", has been the theatreland's one of the closely guarded secrets. Not anymore.
The identity of the killer has been published online by Wikipedia, despite protests from the author's family and petitions from fans to remove the spoiler, the 'Daily Mail' newspaper reported.
Matthew Prichard, Christie's grandson, described the decision of the online encyclopedia as "unfortunate".
Prichard, who was given the rights to The Mousetrap on his ninth birthday, says he will raise the matter with the play's producer, Sir Stephen Waley-Cohen.
He said: "My grandmother always got upset if the plots of her books or plays were revealed in reviews -- and I don't think this is any different. It's a pity if a publication, if I can call it that, potentially spoils enjoyment for people who go to see the play."
Pritchard plans to discuss the matter with the Moustrap's producer for 23 years of its record-breaking run in the West End, Sir Stephen Waley-Cohen.
He added: "From the point of view of the theatre-going public, I think it does spoil the enjoyment of those going to have an entertaining evening at the theatre -- one part of which is to guess who the murderer is."
A Wikipedia spokesman said: "Our purpose is to collect and report notable knowledge. It's exceedingly easy to avoid knowing the identity of the murderer -- just don't read it.
"Asking Wikipedia not to reveal the identity of the murderer is like asking a library to remove copies of The Mousetrap book from the shelves because someone could just go and read the end."
The Mousetrap was first performed in London in 1952. It has the longest initial run of any play in history, with over 24,000 performances so far.
