Snap up tickets to see TV favourite Todd Carty lead a star-studded cast in the 70th anniversary tour of Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap at Blackpool Grand Theatre this June.
It's THE genre-defining murder mystery from the Queen of Crime… case closed!
Enjoy a celebrity-packed slice of Agatha Christie's iconic murder mystery The Mousetrap at Blackpool Grand Theatre from Monday 19 June to Saturday 24 June as TODD CARTY and CATHERINE SHIPTON join a stellar cast.
TV favourite Todd is best known as Mark Fowler in BBC's EastEnders; Tucker Jenkins in the smash-hit school drama Grange Hill; PC Gabriel Kent in ITV's The Bill and as one of the most memorable contestants from ITV's Dancing on Ice and joins the classic crime caper as Major Metcalf, while Catherine Shipton (best known for playing Lisa ‘Duffy' Duffin in the ever-popular BBC hospital drama Casualty) plays Mrs. Boyle.
The dazzling duo will be joined by theatre favourites Rachel Dawson (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) as Mollie Ralston; Michael Lyle (Amedeus, RSC's A Christmas Carol) as Giles Ralston; Shaun McCourt (The Railway Children, War Horse) as Christopher Wren; Leigh Lothian (Lovely Bones, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical) as Miss Casewell; Steven Elliot(The Ladykillers) as Mr. Paravicini, and Garyn Williams (The Corn is Green) as Detective Sgt. Trotter.
As news spreads of a murder in London, a group of seven strangers find themselves snowed in at a stately countryside guesthouse. When a police sergeant arrives, the guests discover – to their horror – that a killer is in their midst! One by one, the suspicious characters reveal their sordid pasts. Which one is the murderer? Who will be their next victim?
Agatha Christie is the best-selling novelist of all time and is best known for her 66 gripping detective novels and 14 scintillating short story collections. Christie's books have sold over a billion copies in the English language and a billion in translation, with many transformed into world famous film and stage plays. Most famous of all is the world's longest-running stage play – The Mousetrap, which premiered at Theatre Royal Nottingham in 1952 and has kept millions of people from every corner of the globe on the edge of their seats ever since…
We caught up with TV and stage star Todd to quiz him about his fascinating new role as recently retired soldier Major Metcalf in this famous piece of theatrical history:
What attracted you to The Mousetrap?
I saw it about 40 years ago, when I was a much younger man, and when I got the call ‘Would you like to be in The Mousetrap?' I didn't hesitate. I remembered it being such a great play and I've always been an Agatha Christie fan, having first gotten hooked on her storytelling by seeing the Margaret Rutherford/Miss Marple films on TV. Now here I am 40 years later playing Major Metcalf in the UK tour. It's fantastic.
How would you describe Major Metcalf and his role in the story?
He's a retired Army major and one of the guests in a guesthouse in the countryside. All of the characters have a secret and a mysterious background that audiences can't quite put a finger on. The fourth wall, namely the audience, become detectives trying to work out who's up to skulduggery and who isn't, along with the real detective on stage. Major Metcalf is a typical ex-Army guy. He enjoys the odd drop of brandy in the evening and maybe the odd drop of Scotch at lunch. On the face of it he seems to want to help people but every now and then the characters in the play disappear and we don't know what they're up to, Major Metcalf included.
The show is celebrating its 70th anniversary. How do you account for its longevity?
I honestly don't know. That's the $64,000 question, isn't it? I think basically we all like a whodunnit because we're all amateur detectives, we're all modern day Columbos. I've been to see the show again recently and in the audience, there are kids from aged 13 right up to grandmas and granddads, all going ‘He did it' or ‘No, it was her or him'. When I first saw it, I couldn't quite work it out myself but it's great fun trying to figure out who the killer is.
Does it surprise you, especially in an era of social media, that audiences don't spill any secrets about who the murderer is?
It does, yes, but for some reason people honour the request not to reveal any secrets once they've seen the show. And following on from what I said earlier, it's a family show. It's got ups and downs, twists and turns, with a gentle humour to it. The fact it's still going strong shows that nothing beats a good story, a good mystery and good old-fashioned entertainment.
You came to fame in Grange Hill. What are your memories of that time?
Not to give my age away, I'd been acting since I was four. I loved doing all those adverts when I first started out, but Grange Hill changed my whole life. One day I was happily going to school, the next day I was Tucker Jenkins. The day before it first aired in 1978 nobody on the tube knew who I was, then the next day it was ‘Bang'. Anonymity was a thing of the past.
What have been your favourite jobs over the years?
I loved doing EastEnders and The Bill. I also did five years on and off playing Patsy in Spamalot and that was brilliant. I'd sing Always Look on the Bright Side of Life every night and there'd be seven and eight-year-olds singing along, Mum and Dad singing it, Granny and Granddad, and they all knew the words. Being in a show like that is almost like being in therapy.
What do you most enjoy about doing stage work?
It sounds obvious and clichéd but it's the audience. When you're doing a panto and all the kids are getting involved and shouting back, going ‘Oh yes he did' and ‘Oh no he didn't', it's a great feeling. Plays are different but the audience is listening to every word, and with The Mousetrap they're thinking ‘Ooh, I thought it was so and so'. I love live theatre.
Why do you think Agatha Christie is the most successful novelist of all time?
She's been translated into so many different languages, which helps. And I do think we're all amateur sleuths. We love trying to work out who did the bad deed. The Mousetrap is probably her most famous story and it's a prime example of her skill at creating interesting characters and intriguing plots.
Have YOUDUNNIT yet? DON'T JUST SEE IT. SOLVE IT!
Snap up your tickets now for The Mousetrap and celebrate 70 sensational years of the Queen of Crime on stage!
Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap - 70th Anniversary Tour starring Todd Carty (EastEnders, Grange Hill, Dancing on Ice) and Catherine Shipton (Lisa ‘Duffy' Duffin in BBC drama Casualty) is at Blackpool Grand Theatre from Monday 19 June to Saturday 24 June 2023. Matinee and evening performances.
Please call the Box Office on 01253 290190 or visit www.BlackpoolGrand.co.uk for full listings, bookings and further information.
LISTINGS
Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap – 70th Anniversary Tour
Mon 19 Jun 2023 at 8pm. Tues 20 Jun to Sat 24 Jun 2023 at 7.30pm
Thursday & Saturday matinee at 2pm
Grand Theatre, 33 Church Street, Blackpool FY1 1HT
Box Office 01253 290 190
blackpoolgrand.co.uk
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