Το έργο που δε θα συνταξιοδοτηθεί ποτέ

Σαν σήμερα, to 1952, έκανε πρεμιέρα το μακροβιότερο
σε συνεχείς παραστάσεις θεατρικό έργο του κόσμου,
το θρυλικό πλέον
" Η ποντικοπαγίδα",
της Agatha Christie.

The Legend Continues

The Mousetrap is Agatha Christie’s most successful play in that since its premier, at the Ambassador’s Theatre in London in 1952, it has never stopped running in London. It is the longest continuously running play of all time, and has become a tourist must-see when visiting London. It was originally written as a radio play, commissioned by the BBC to celebrate the 80th birthday of Queen Mary, who was a fan of Christie’s. Christie accepted the honour and wrote a 20-minute radio play called “Three Blind Mice”. After that, Christie turned the play into a short story, while at the same time working on a stage version of the same plot. Christie had great hopes for the stage play, and she even suppressed the publication of the short story in UK for fear of revealing the ending of the story.

The Mousetrap is a two-act drama, set in Monkswell Manor Guest House, a newly converted mansion run by a young couple, Mollie and Giles Ralston. The action takes place on a snowy winter day. At the beginning of the play, Mollie and Giles are busy arranging things in preparation for the first guests’ arrival. They have no experience in running a guest house and Mollie is not a particularly good cook, so they are both a little nervous, and are worried about the snow and the obstruction it might cause.

Before the arrival of the first guests, a news report on the radio announces that a woman, Mrs Maureen Lyon, has been murdered at 24 Culver Street in Paddington, London. The police are eager to interview a man who is described as wearing a dark overcoat, light scarf, and a soft felt hat. At this moment in the play, the audience sees Giles coming back into the house wearing clothes that match exactly the description given in the news announcement...

[ Η συνέχεια επί της σκηνής...]

ΥΓ. Για όσους επιθυμούν να δουν την παράσταση στον... τόπο του εγκλήματος,
τους πληροφορούμε ότι τα εισιτήρια κοστίζουν από 19 έως τριάντα πέντε λίρες Ινγκλετέρας.