Mousetrap – William, London

On April the 8th, my dad, brother and I set off to reach the West End district of London. We decided to rent a few bikes, which we had never done before; after struggling to work out the bike rental system, we set out to St Martin’s theatre to see The Mousetrap by Agatha Christie. Prior to seeing the play, we didn’t know ‘whodunnit’ which, I only realise now, is definitely a huge privilege not shared among many Mousetrap newcomers: the sense of mystery and excitement boosted the atmosphere to keep the audience alert for clues and details. 

Upon entering the theatre, the warm relaxing lighting absorbed by the dark polished wood gave off a rather Victorian upper-class atmosphere to the venue; quite surprisingly, the seats were extremely comfortable, unlike many theatres and concerts nowadays. The seats certainly didn’t help to keep me awake; nor did the soothing jazzy Victorian piano music – the whole atmosphere felt like it was transported back in time; despite numerous electronic devices snapping me back to the modern era, the sounds and seats still had a huge part in setting up the masterful play. 

After almost drowning in the ambience of chatter and soothing music, the play signalled the start with the ringing of bells – the crowd sharply responded with a deafening silence as the music through the speakers slowly died down, the curtains were drawn and the play started with the first few lines: “Mrs Barlow! Mrs Barlow!”; unlike The Merchant of Venice by Shakespeare, which I knew (almost) every line of, to keep the sense of mystery I decided not to read the play at all. 
Before the play, I worried that without preparation I might not understand everything – however, unlike Shakespeare, Agatha Christie’s language was more accessible to me. The play then soon morphed into a life-like scenario: as if the audience were spectating a real event. As the play unfolded, the tension slowly raised until the final climax was reached. Sadly, I cannot tell you how the events unfolded for it might reveal the identity of the murderer – for I been sworn to secrecy by the ancient code of The Mousetrap.