“The Mousetrap” Unfortunately Unheard
“The Mousetrap” by the incredible Grande Dame of mystery, Agatha Christie, first opened on the West End in 1952. The show is still being presented! That’s right; “The Mousetrap” is as old as I am! London’s “The Mousetrap” is the longest running show in history. The University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond opened “The Mousetrap” on Thursday, March 29, 2018 and UCO only presents a show for one weekend. That means that UCO’s “The Mousetrap” directed by Daisy Folsom has the shortest run of this play in history! It is a distinct possibility that the show will have closed before any review is published!
“The Mousetrap” is being presented at Mitchell Hall, a lovely theater with unfortunate acoustics. Many theatre goers dislike the use of individual microphones when they are not necessary but, when they are necessary they are indispensable. In this production the actors are not using microphones and this is a mistake as they cannot be understood. The cast is attempting British accents, and the foundation of a British accent is crisp enunciation. It is not there. The play is set in an English country estate that has been turned into a guest house, Monkswell Manor. The weather is atrocious and the hosts, Giles and Mollie Ralston have prepared for their guests on the opening weekend of the guest house. When Mrs. Boyle, a rather obnoxious lady in attendance is murdered, they realize they are trapped in this home with a murderer. Fortunately a detective from Scotland Yard is among the guests.
The audience may realize that the actors are doing a fairly nice job with their characterizations, but it is hard to tell, because they are screaming throughout the show. The first act cannot be understood at all, and the problem may be that the actors cannot project, or it may be that the space simply requires microphones regardless of an actor’s skill in projecting. The dialogue is impossible to understand because of the yelling, but speeches also seem to be mushy rather than crisp. The second act is a little better but still difficult to understand partially because the first act has information that is necessary. The play is properly British and spoken in English, the program helpfully provides a list of words with meanings that may be unfamiliar to Americans. Although ordinarily this would have been wonderful, in this case the thoughtful addition to the program is meaningless, because the dialogue is such that not a single word on the list is ever heard. During intermission, audience members, grateful to discover that others were also in fear they could no longer hear depending on the ear found relief in the shared experience of the first act. Surely this travesty is the result of an unavoidable technical glitch, forcing the actors to unexpectedly perform without the microphones they had been ordinarily using.
Agatha Christie is known for her irritation and disapproval with critics who reveal the name of the murderer in this or any whodunit masterpiece. Good critics wouldn’t do that, and no critic would dare to reveal the end of any Agatha Christie mystery. However, in this production, the critic does not have that moral dilemma, the murderer remains obscure!
This is a monumental tragedy because the play is a wonderful play and this production looks absolutely amazing. The set is beautiful; Devin Scheef creates a marvelous mood with this beautiful country estate. The lighting evokes a sense of mystery and the effects are very nice thanks to Angela Marks-Hawthorne. The costumes are quite accurate for the period and very flattering for the stylish characters due to Alyssa Couturier. Folsom directs “The Mousetrap” and she is clearly an accomplished director—she stages “The Mousetrap” quite beautifully.
The actors are unable to create levels so the characters are undeveloped, but without the struggle attempting to be heard, they may have been able to create the wonderful and interesting characters that Agatha Christie is famous for in all her works. The actors are clearly trying hard to overcome the handicap. Lillian Myers and Joshua Forster are the attractive young couple entertaining guests at Monkswell Manor, Mollie and Giles Ralston. Jacob Miller is a little overdone as Christopher Wren, far more frenetic than he needs to be especially with the sound problems. Hannah Stevens as the difficult Mrs. Boyle is quite obnoxious and irritating. Jole Schrimsher as Major Metcalf is very well rounded and a little calmer, and Taryn Hansen as Miss Casewell is a bit confusing. Her attire is inappropriate for the occasion, although acceptable for the period. The character is rather masculine but not necessarily one practicing an alternate lifestyle. One simply wouldn’t sit in a British drawing room as if she were sitting in a greasy garage surrounded by mechanics and located next to a gay pub. Miguel-Antonio Dooley is very convincing as Mr. Paravicini and Merrick Milburn is too imposing too early as Detective Sergeant Trotter.
The play has one night left…tonight, and if they have corrected the problem and put microphones on all the actors it would be a good choice. If the actors are able to concentrate on their characters rather than on being heard, “The Mousetrap” will be an excellent choice. Curtain is 7:30 and the address is 100 N. University Drive on the University of Central Oklahoma campus in Edmond, Oklahoma. The box office telephone number is 405-974-3375 or visit on line at www.mitchellhalltheatre.com.