By JAMES D. WATTS JR. Scene Writer on Feb 10, 2012, at 11:55 AM Updated on 2/10 at 11:55 AM
This week – Monday, to be exact – marked the 60th anniversary of England’s Queen Elizabeth’s ascension to the throne, following the death of her father, George VI.
This year is also the 60th anniversary of another English queen – Agatha Christie, who during her life earned the nickname “the Queen of Crime” for her best-selling detective novels.
Christie’s play “The Mousetrap” opened in London’s West End theatre district on Nov. 25, 1952, and has been performed continuously ever since – more than 25,000 performances and counting.
The history of “The Mousetrap” has ties to the English royal family. Christie originally conceived the story as a radio play, titled “Three Blind Mice” and ritten in response to a request of Queen Mary, wife of George V, who expressed the desire of an original Agatha Christie mystery as a birthday present.
Christie would later adapt the story into a novella, again under the “Three Blind Mice” title, which in turn would be expanded yet again into the stage play. It became “The Mousetrap” because another recent play had already appeared until the title “Three Blind Mice.”
Like many of the plays Christie wrote, this one does not include any of her most famous detectives among the characters. Rather, “The Mousetrap” is about a young married couple who have recently opened a small hotel called Monkswell Manor. They and their first group of guests are stranded by a freak snowstorm, only two learn that one of their number is a killer bent on exacting revenge for another, long-ago crime.
Mysteries and thrillers were a staple of the London and New York theater at this time, and Christie figured this tale of domestic murder, inspired by a real-life incident, would run a respectable six months. So she assigned the copyright to her grandson, Matthew Pritchard.
It’s never been made into a film, because the original theatrical contract stipulates that the film rights cannot be sold until six months after the conclusion of the original West End run. The novella cannot be published in the United Kingdom, in order to keep the play’s ending a surprise (something that Wikipedia revealed a few years ago).
These days, “The Mousetrap” is considered to be just another tourist destination, along with the Tower of London and Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. The plans for a year-long celebration of the play’s 60th anniversary has prompted a number of comments in English newspapers that maybe it’s time to snap this particular “Mousetrap” shut, and open the theater it occupies to other productions.
If you’re interested in what all the theatrical fuss is about, but can’t quite spring for tickets to England, the Sapulpa Community Theatre, 124 S. Water St., is presenting its production of “The Mousetrap,” 7:30 p.m. Friday and Feb. 17, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Feb. 18, and 2 p.m. Sunday and Feb. 19. Tickets are $10 adults, $5 students. Call 918-227-2169 for reservations.
The nearest rival to “The Mousetrap” – in terms of longevity – is Tulsa’s own “The Drunkard,” which has been presented every Saturday night at the Spotlight Theatre, 1381 Riverside Drive, since Nov. 6, 1953.
For many of those years, the evening’s entertainment has included performances by acts that make up what the theatre bills as “The Olio,” a little bit of variety that can range from stand-up comedians to family bands.
On Friday night, the Spotlight Theatre will turn its stage over entirely to these performers, in the second annual “Olio Follies.”
The show begins at 7 p.m., and the $15 admission includes sandwich, chips and beverage to enjoy during the festivities.
“The Drunkard” will make its regularly scheduled performance 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $13 adults, $11 seniors, $8 child. Reservations are a good idea – call 918-587-5030.
Broken Arrow Community Playhouse has reformed its award-winning team from last year’s “The Gin Game” – actors Tom Berenson and Karen Maio, along with director Martha Cherbini – to present A.R. Gurney’s “Love Letters.”
The lives of Andrew Makepeace Ladd III and Melissa Gardner are laid out letter by letter, from notes sent from summer camp through young romance to the shared memories of later years.
Performances are 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday at the Broken Arrow Community Playhouse, 1800 S. Main St. Tickets are $8-$15; call 918-258-0077.
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