Here's to the next 70 years of Dame Agatha's perfect murder mystery

Agatha Christie’s murder mystery The Mousetrap is celebrating its 70th anniversary with a tour.
It’s growing old extremely gracefully, is still going strong and is a brilliant piece of theatre.
Currently playing at the Princess Theatre, Torquay, the packed auditorium lapped up the story by the queen of crime writing.
The classic whodunnit, by the famous author who was born in Torbay, keeps you guessing right until the very end- it’s easy to see why this play is the longest running in the world.
The story, set at Monkswell Manor, follows a group of strangers who find themselves brought together and snowed in at the remote guesthouse.
News travels that there has been a murder in London and before long suspicions heighten when it’s realised the killer is among them.
A police sergeant turns up and the truths unravel.
It’s like watching a real life game of Cluedo on stage complete with red herrings and twists and turns along the way.
Todd Carty, of EastEnders and Grange Hill fame, as bumbling Major Metcalf doesn’t falter and Catherine Shipton , who is best known for portraying Duffy on our television screens in Casualty, plays the cold and forthright Mrs Boyle.
Both are stellar actors and really do the roles justice as do the rest of the able cast.
Shaun McCourt as the over the top and almost childlike character Christopher Wren is also well cast along with Steven Elliott who plays man of mystery Mr Paravicini.
There is an air of nostalgia throughout, thanks to the it being set in the old manor house, complete with oak furniture, large fire place and the wireless radio playing at various points in the play. It’s pure escapism and the perfect murder mystery.
We won’t give away who the murderer is, you’ll just have to go along to find out whodunnit!
Here’s to the next 70 years of The Mousetrap.
It runs at the Princess Theatre until September 16.