Review: THE MOUSETRAP at St Martin’s Theatre (30,000th Performance)

Date: 19th March 2025

Seat: E17 (Dress Circle)

Stars: 4

London’s West End has seen its fair share of long-running hits, but The Mousetrap is in a league of its own. Now celebrating its 30,000th performance, Agatha Christie’s classic whodunnit has outlasted generations of theatre trends, countless cultural shifts, and most of its original audience. It’s a relic that refuses to gather dust – a play that, despite its age, still manages to intrigue, entertain, and keep its secrets well-guarded.

So, what keeps people coming back? Is it the nostalgia? The tradition? The sheer novelty of seeing something that’s been running since before most of us were born? Maybe all of the above.

By now, everyone knows The Mousetrap’s setup: a group of strangers trapped in a snowbound guesthouse, a murder, and a detective determined to get to the bottom of it. It’s Christie in her element – tight plotting, sharp dialogue, and just the right amount of misdirection.

There are no big gimmicks here, no flashy staging or modern reinventions. It doesn’t need them. The set is a quintessential English country house, the costumes are appropriately mid-century, and the whole thing plays out like a well-oiled machine. Yet, despite the familiarity, there’s something oddly comforting about stepping into this world where the biggest concern isn’t rent hikes or WiFi signals, but whether or not one of your fellow guests is a killer.

For a play with such a long history, you might expect the performances to feel rehearsed to within an inch of their lives. But one of the joys of The Mousetrap is that each new cast breathes fresh life into the well-worn roles. There’s a rhythm to the way the characters interact—some are just suspicious enough to make you raise an eyebrow, others so unassuming that you wonder if that’s deliberate.

It’s all perfectly balanced, and watching the dynamic unfold feels like being let in on a secret. Even if you think you know the ending (or have been sworn to secrecy by someone who does), there’s still pleasure in watching the story play out.

What makes The Mousetrap more than just a play is its legacy. It’s a theatre-going rite of passage, a piece of history that’s very much alive, and a show that exists almost in its own bubble—unchanged, unshaken, and utterly unfazed by the world outside.

And then, of course, there’s the time-honoured tradition: the audience is asked not to reveal the ending. It’s a charming throwback to a pre-spoiler era, a moment where theatre lovers collectively agree to preserve the mystery. In a time when surprises are rare, that’s something special.

Whether it’s your first time or your tenth, The Mousetrap remains a classic for a reason. It’s not the flashiest show in the West End, nor the most groundbreaking, but it does exactly what it sets out to do – and does it well.

After 30,000 performances, it’s fair to wonder if The Mousetrap will ever close. But honestly? At this point, it seems more likely that the theatre itself will crumble before this play gives up its spot.

And really, why should it?

Tickets are available here: https://the-mousetrap.co.uk/