Lucas: Agatha Christie's 'The Mousetrap' coming to Hilton Head
When Agatha Christie's "The Mousetrap" opens at The Arts Center of Coastal Carolina next month, the play's Hilton Head Island debut will take its place in a long line of openings.
Said to be the longest running play in British theatrical history, the production is also considered to be the quintessential "whodunit" murder mystery even with a twist ending.
In fact, the genius of the twist ending -- complete with a plea to audiences to "keep the secret...locked in your heart" -- and other techniques Christie employs may very well be what separates an Agatha Christie play from others.
"She is certainly the one who made the mold," said director Russell Treyz. "Especially on the stage. That's where all the others begin."
The play opens with, what else, but a group of strangers stranded in a guest house during a snowstorm. A murder soon follows.
Funny and even sardonic at times, the play also has a darker side in that its plot was inspired by real-life headlines of the 1940s tragic case of Dennis O'Neill, a Welsh boy who died tragically in foster care.
The case both horrified and rocked the United Kingdom and much has been written on Christie's portrayal of a darker, more calculating side of humanity.
Some might pause at taking on such a production with a long and complicated history, but Treyz remains undaunted.
In fact, "Mousetrap" is one of the first plays Treyz directed.
"It's fun to come back to it," he said. "Every character is interesting and fun to play. It's so well constructed ... . That's why it's lasted for 42 years."
It's also why Treyz says it's best to play it straight, or at least by the specific stage instructions Christie wrote.
"So what that means is finding the way to combine our feelings about it with hers and come up with a play that means something to everybody."
For anyone who has not seen, "The Mousetrap" is "a must," he said.
"And for those who have seen it, I think they will enjoy seeing it again," he said.
"...For the audience, it will keep you on the edge of your seat and you will wonder what's happening."
Whatever happens, just be sure to keep it to yourself.
If You Go
"The Mousetrap" opens Feb. 9 and runs through Feb. 28 at the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, at 14 Shelter Cove Lane, Hilton Head Island.
Show times are 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays; 2 and 7 p.m. on Sundays.
Suitable for youth and adults.
Tickets for preview performances through Feb. 11 are $37 with discounts for children.
Tickets after Feb. 11 are $47 with discounts for children.
For more information call 843-842-2787 or visit www.artshhi.com.
Follow reporter Mindy Lucas on Twitter at twitter.com/MindyatIPBG.
Related content:
This story was originally published January 29, 2016 at 2:24 PM with the headline "Lucas: Agatha Christie's 'The Mousetrap' coming to Hilton Head."