The theatre world’s best kept secret?

Agatha Christie’s ‘Mousetrap' runs all through the weekend in the city at St John’s auditorium.

The world’s longest-running play, Agatha Christie’s ‘Mousetrap’ is currently on a run through India, with an all-British cast bringing to this part of the world a play that has quite literally stood the test of time. The play is classic Christie: a murder mystery with a liberal dose of red herrings, a closed setting to create a sense of claustrophobia, surprising character revelations, and that all-too-familiar blimey British manner in both dialogue and delivery that will never not be delightful.I had watched this play in London a couple of years ago, where I’d spent the last few remaining quid of my travel money for a ticket to the play at St. Martin’s Theatre, the day before I wrapped up my 3-week vacation. London’s West End (the theatre district) has been home to this play ever since its first run in November 1952 in the city. Prior to finding its sweet spot in London, the play was also staged in Birmingham, Oxford, Newcastle and Liverpool. The play had its debut in March 1974 at St. Martin’s Theatre, a run that continues to this day and is somewhat of a tourist attraction. Mousetrap was originally written as a short radio play, a birthday present for Queen Mary, titled ‘Three Blind Mice’ (yes, after that blasted nursery rhyme).At the end of the play, when the cast take their bows, a customary pledge of sorts is requested by the actors of the audience, that the audience are now “partners in crime” and to not reveal the killer’s identity so the play can go on. Considering this is the 67th year that the play has been running, it’s a testament to the power of theatre, and theatre audiences, that the killer’s identity has been kept a cross-my-heart secret by the audiences, with only Internet sources playing spoilsport sometimes.The director and the cast change every few months, as do costumes and some staging elements, and while the play might seem anachronistic to current theatre-goers, Mousetrap endures even today. Though not considered to be one of Christie’s best works, through a mix of wonder and indulgence and faux solemnity by the audience, ‘Mousetrap’ remains one of those must-do things on every theatre/literature buff’s bucket list.The play runs all through the weekend here in the city at St John’s auditorium. For those who can’t make it to London, this is your chance, in many ways, to both experience and be a part of history. Barmy thing, though: you *must* keep the secret.