The Mousetrap

Reviewed by Julia Lloyd George
Group Repertory
Thru November 13

RECOMMENDED

Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap, the longest running play in the world, is a tremendously successful whodunnit for a reason—perhaps you can crack the case? A story of seven strangers stranded by a blizzard in a hotel and informed by a detective that a murderer hellbent on revenge is in their midst, it has all the familiar elements of an old-fashioned murder mystery; red herrings and tweed jackets abound. The Group Rep’s production, directed by Jules Aaron, is a faithful, often campy rendition that turns out to be much more comical than it is dark and suspenseful. Although the pace can feel sluggish at times and the faltering English accents a little distracting, it’s still worth seeing for its classically structured plot and cozily nostalgic appeal.

Tavish Grade plays the young hotelkeeper and main character, Mollie Ralston, with a charming earnestness. An audience proxy of sorts, she is often nervous and befuddled by the events in her hotel, yet is also sympathetic to her guests in a way that her husband, Giles, absolutely isn’t. Todd Andrew Ball plays Giles as a prim, buttoned-up sort of man with a bone-dry drawl, constantly exasperated by the strange people he’s forced to serve. This inexperienced and newly married couple is entirely unprepared for the group that arrives at their brand-new establishment, struggling to deal with their odd personalities and to meet their many needs as the roads get blocked by snow.

The first guest to arrive is a young architect aptly named Christopher Wren, played by Peter Henry Bussian, who is one of the great highlights of this cast. Bussian brings a mischievous, impish sort of energy to a play filled with conservative, English character archetypes. Lareen Faye, as the much-loathed Mrs. Boyle, is also hilarious as the grumpy, officious and ever-complaining “Karen” character. Others include a wry, mysterious young woman named Leslie Casewell (Anica Petrovic), a flamboyant, rather creepy foreigner named Mr. Paravacini (Hisato Masuyama), and a cartoonishly intimidating police detective named Sergeant Trotter (Alec Helton). All of them converge on a meticulously conceived 1950s-period stage with a glowing fire and a snowy window; set designer Mareli Mitchel-Shields has clearly followed Agatha Christie’s detailed design notes to a tee.

Christie’s characters can unfortunately feel quite flat and clichéd at times, their internal and external lives beyond the small world of this hotel mystery difficult to imagine. They are simply there to service the higher purpose of the plot; while some beats feel repetitive and unnecessary, the story has a surprisingly satisfying ending that will make you nod knowingly and think that you should have seen it coming. Sometimes, that might be all you want from a couple of hours in a dark theater.

Presented by the Group Repertory at Lonny Chapman Theatre, 10900 Burbank Blvd., North Hollywood; Fri.-Sat., 8pm, Sun., 2pm thru Nov. 13. Running time is two hours with one 10-minute intermission. https://thegrouprep.com/