Published: September 05, 2008 09:59 am            

‘Mousetrap’ captures audience

Carnegie Players deliver good whodunit

If you are a fan of the murder-mystery genre, you will enjoy the Greater Cleburne Carnegie Players’ production of Agatha Christie’s classic work “The Mousetrap,” opening at 8 tonight at the Carnegie Theatre in the Layland Museum.

“Mousetrap” is reported to be the longest running play in the world, with more than 23,000 performances through April.

Director Luke William Hunt coaxes good performances and competent accents from his cadre of performers.

“Mousetrap” began its life as a short radio show in 1947, originally commissioned of Agatha Christie by King George V’s queen-consort Mary, a devoted Christie fan.

Christie’s inspiration for the mystery was a true story of the death of a boy from neglect and abuse at a farm in the English countryside.

The original title of the radio show and theatrical production was “Three Blind Mice,” and the classic tune that virtually everyone knows features prominently in the story line.

The play is set in a guest-house outside London, run by novice hotel proprietors Giles and Mollie Ralston.

Before their guests arrive, Mollie hears a radio announcement of a murder that has taken place in London accompanied by a description of the suspect.

One by one, Mollie and Giles’ house guests show up, some fitting the build of the murder suspect and wearing similar clothes.

As the personalities, backgrounds and recent activities of the players are uncovered by the investigative work of Sgt. Trotter, played by Carnegie newcomer Brett Walmsley, the plot thickens and viewers become aware that virtually anyone in the house could be the murderer.

Another murder takes place in the house, and it is clear they are all snow-bound in a guest-house with a murderer.

The terror that grips them begins to bring out changes and subtleties in all their personalities and causes the truth to finally come to light.

When a play has run this long, the measure of a production’s quality is defined by the ability of the cast to infuse each character with a subtle sense of convincing realism.

Carnegie’s production delivers a pleasing blend of appearances of familiar faces and newcomers to its cast, and all do a worthy job in this regard.

Kristi Mills, a 17-year old senior at Alvarado High School, plays Mollie Ralston admirably, and she capably covers the character’s demanding range of emotions from blushing newlywed to murder suspect.

Mills’ Mollie is aptly matched by Carnegie newcomer Scott Challgren’s impressive portrayal of Giles Ralston.

Challgren has a long acting résumé in Hollywood, and his experience elevates the play and allows Mills’ talent to shine. He also has one of the funniest lines in the play in reference to another character, Miss Casewell. Listen carefully.

Another Carnegie regular, Travis Cook, returns to perfectly play the strange and confusing Christopher Wren, a character with so many dimensions and secrets he could easily be the murderer or the next victim.

Staci Cook has a brief but memorable role with a delightfully blood-curdling scream off-stage.

Hillard Cochran has entirely too much fun flaunting an interesting Italian-Sicilian accent as Mr. Paravacini, and Stacey Blanton as Mrs. Boyle does a great job as a hypercritical former judge who doesn’t like much of anything.

Barry Swindall as Major Metcalf is well cast in the role because it requires a wonderful nervous twitch and a polished British accent, one he previously demonstrated in “The Foreigner.”

Robin Levac is the elusive, mysterious Miss Casewell and performs her role very well. Jeanne Hynds plays the radio announcer with a voice that sounds like it belongs, well, coming out of a British radio. Special compliments go to stage manager Claudia Gaarz.

“Mousetrap” plays at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through Sept. 21, with Sunday matinees at 2:30 p.m. at the Layland Museum, 201 N. Caddo in Cleburne.

Tickets are available online at www. carnegieplayers.com and at the Cleburne Chamber of Commerce.

        

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