This fall, The Valentine Theatre is presenting a classic murder mystery, The Mousetrap, based on Agatha Christie's popular novel. Housed in the Valentine's intimate Studio A space, this show will run every weekend in October offering plenty of performance times to experience this classic tale of cat and mouse.
It’s a simple, effective set-up. The Mousetrap follows a group of strangers who end up at a country style guesthouse during a storm. On the radio, everyone hears of a murderer on the loose, then, someone in the manor is killed. One member of the group is the murderer and all of them are suspects. Tension rises as each character takes a turn in the hot seat while the police try to find the killer.
Elizabeth Cottle, a NW Ohio native and current manager of support services at the Valentine, is directing this thriller in tune with the spirit of Halloween. Cottle has been performing locally for most of her life; starring in more than 20 local theatre productions at various venues throughout the area. This is her second directing experience, following her direction of “The MOMologues” at the Toledo Repertoire Theatre earlier this year. “I was excited when the opportunity to direct The Mousetrap came up because it has so many additional elements: working with a larger cast, dealing with much more complex and precise staging, and incorporating things like dialects and a little bit of stage combat,” Cottle says. The classical elements of Britain in the 1950s embraced in the show, Cottle says are, “trying to evoke that time period with the set and costumes.”
The cast is comprised of local actors fresh to the Valentine stage. Cottle draws on her acting experience throughout the rehearsals as she directs, explaining ”As an actor, I've always liked directors who give the cast the freedom to explore and develop their characters, so that's what I've tried to do. I also like to keep trying new things to keep the play interesting for the performers – if it's not interesting for them, it won't be interesting for the audience either.”
Last year marked the 60th anniversary since the inaugural run of The Mousetrap, when it opened in London in 1952 and the show has been running continuously, logging more than 25,000 performances. “The Mousetrap really is the godfather of a lot of murder mystery plays out there, and Agatha Christie obviously knew what she was doing. That genre can be cheesy, full of clichés and predictable, but I think this production does a good job of combining interesting, well-developed characters with plenty of suspense and suspicion,” Cottle says.
The Valentine's Studio A , Cottle notes, “is very intimate and (puts the audience) close to the action.” “Plus, it's just a great opportunity to come out and see and support local talent, and what better way to spend an October evening than with a good murder mystery?”
The Mousetrap, Oct. 4-6, 11-13 and 25-27.
Sunday performances at 2 p.m., Fri and Sat performances at 8 p.m.
Tickets are $20 online or at the door.
Valentine Theater, 410 Adams St. valentinetheatre.com.
