Mousetrap on Broadway

[brdwybound04]

Posted: 11/25/22 at 7:02am

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/THE-MOUSETRAP-to-Make-its-Broadway-Premiere-in-2023-20221125I Updated On: 11/25/22 at 07:02 AM

[ACL2006]

Posted: 11/25/22 at 8:15am

Curious what theater this will take?

[KevinKlawitter]

Posted: 11/25/22 at 8:43am

Wow!

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 11/25/22 at 9:04am

Assuming there are some good star roles in this?

Who is directing it? It doesn’t list a director, just the below alluding to it (design-wise) being a recreation of the London production.

 

I cannot stress enough how little audiences will care about this part. This play’s iconography is nonexistent to American audiences. Just make it good and fresh and not stale, with stars who will sell tickets!

New York audiences will be able to see and hear some of the original sights and sounds from the production as it has appeared in London since 1952. The set will be a loving recreation of Anthony Holland’s design, and for a truly authentic touch, the only surviving piece of the original set — the mantelpiece clock — will be loaned from the London production for the Broadway run. The unique backstage wind machine, imprinted with the original producer’s name and still used today, will also be shipped across the Atlantic.

While many elements of the show will be indistinguishable from the London production, the unique ensemble of actors assembled for Broadway will bring this classic whodunnit to life in a new way, as every cast has done in London for a staggering 70 years.

Updated On: 11/25/22 at 09:04 AM

[KevinKlawitter]

Posted: 11/25/22 at 9:20am

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Assuming there are some good star roles in this?

Who is directing it? It doesn’t list a director, just the below alluding to it (design-wise) being a recreation of the London production.



I cannot stress enough how little audiences will care about this part. This play’s iconography is nonexistent to American audiences. Just make it good and fresh and not stale, with stars who will sell tickets!

New York audiences will be able to see and hear some of the original sights and sounds from the production as it has appeared in London since 1952. The set will be a loving recreation of Anthony Holland’s design, and for a truly authentic touch, the only surviving piece of the original set — the mantelpiece clock — will be loaned from the London production for the Broadway run. The unique backstage wind machine, imprinted with the original producer’s name and still used today, will also be shipped across the Atlantic.

While many elements of the show will be indistinguishable from the London production, the unique ensemble of actors assembled for Broadway will bring this classic whodunnit to life in a new way, as every cast has done in London for a staggering 70 years."

I think that's being a bit overly cynical.  Even if Broadway audiences aren't as familiar with the longevity of this specific play, the novelty of a new Agatha Christie show being on Broadway will probably be enough for some to make plans to see it, especially if they assemble a good cast.  And even in regards to The Mousetrap specifically, remember we just had that movie See How They Run release this year to a warm reception that turned the show's London premiere and popularity into a plot point, so it's already in the contemporary pop culture ether, at least a little bit

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 11/25/22 at 9:43am

KevinKlawitter said: "remember we just had that movie See How They Runrelease this year to a warm reception that turned the show's London premiere and popularity into a plot point, so it's already in the contemporary pop culture ether, at least a little bit"


That juggernaut See How They Run that only grossed $9.5m domestically and a 60% metacritic score?

To be clear, I'll gladly be proved wrong –– I just think, generally speaking, recreation is the lowest form of artistry, and the play + audiences will be served much better by a more organic production. Sort of like how OKLAHOMA and A CHORUS LINE can feel so stale and lifeless when you try to reproduce the original years later without the original creators in the room.

Audiences will not buy tickets to this play en masse because of the set design and one piece of set dressing.

Which is also why I asked who is directing it (they haven't named a director in the release). A solid British or American director + a very capable cast could go a long, long way. But that director would also have to be willing to work within the limitations of the London production, which most notable theatre directors will not want to do. (Same with major star actors, though the promise of an American premiere could help to some extent.)

[ggersten]

Posted: 11/25/22 at 10:26am

The director will be Laurence Connor and it will go into the Majestic! (Joking!)

I am confident the producers know that they need a strong cast for this to succeed - even as I think the "curiosity" factor will sell a lot of tickets. It's a show people have heard of but not seen. We did see it several years ago in part because we felt obligated to see this longest running show - and there will be people who will want to see it just because it is The Mousetrap. Even non-regular theatregoers may have heard of the show - and know nothing of it other than it is Agatha Christie and it has been running for decades. 

By the way, we enjoyed it when we saw it. It wasn't the "best" play ever - but it was a solid evening and the mystery was fine. Some of the beats have been copied/homaged/repeated over the years by others - so it may not feel "fresh" but, I, for one, was struck b how it still felt "now" and that the original production could even have been a little shocking. 

 

 

[ggersten]

Posted: 11/25/22 at 10:41am

For Tony purposes, will this be a "new" play or a "revival" as a "classic"? 

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 11/25/22 at 10:43am

Revival, for sure. Every regional theatre in the US has done this play, maybe even multiple times.

[JoeW4]

Posted: 11/25/22 at 11:10am

From what I can tell, the West End production has had multiple credited directors over the years, even during its continuous run. I assume they bring in a new director when they feel like it needs a facelift.

I don't know if that's a British thing, or if it's a natural consequence of its unprecedentedly long run, but it breaks from the usual practice of only crediting the original director, and using SMs or ADs to keep up the direction when new actors come in.

In that sense, you could say the West End production is already a "recreation," and it sounds like this Broadway production will just be an extension of what they've already been doing; it'll effectively be a transfer of the West End production, but they can't really call it that because (a) it'll probably have a different director credited, just like how they've been crediting different directors over the years on the West End, and (b) they know it'll be considered a revival for awards purposes, so the press release emphasizes the "recreation" element as marketing tactic.

 

[Broadway61004]

Posted: 11/25/22 at 11:30am

ggersten said: "For Tony purposes, will this be a "new" play or a "revival" as a "classic"?"

99% sure it will be considered a revival, but if they truly are in essence recreating the original London production, you could almost make an argument for it to be considered new. Almost like when any London production finally transfers to NY, just that it took about 70 years for this transfer to happen.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 11/25/22 at 11:32am

It will 100% be deemed a "classic work" and thus a revival.

Now, if this were a new adaptation of a Christie novel by a contemporary playwright (such as Ken Ludwig's Murder on the Orient Express), that would be a different story and it would be considered a New play. Like Therese Raquin a few years ago.

[Lola Getz2]

Posted: 11/25/22 at 12:06pm

I can't imagine any big names would be too interested in doing this old dusty thing unless it was simply for the money. 

[Dollypop]

Posted: 11/25/22 at 1:21pm

What's all this fuss and feathers about re-creating the set? It was my understanding that the London production was re-cast, re-designed and re-directed down through the years. It's what's keeping it fresh.

[darquegk]

Posted: 11/25/22 at 1:30pm

I love the Ludwig Orient Express. I had doubts about the king of pure farce doing Christie’s melodramatic mystery, but he managed to keep the heart AND turn it into a very funny show. 

[Lavieboheme3090]

Posted: 11/25/22 at 2:23pm

Pure Speculation on the theater?

Lycium or the Jones....

[schubox]

Posted: 11/25/22 at 2:30pm

Does anyone have any idea about when this may open? We went to London with my mom and she, or I, didn't know this was a thing and we were all planned up and she was bummed she didn't get to see it. I'm going to take her to NYC to see this, but was curious if anyone had heard at any possible dates. I am assuming this spring sometime?

[sppunk]

Posted: 11/25/22 at 3:20pm

I think this can be quite successful. Contrary to others, I think you can do an Into The Woods type cast with stars coming and going. It’s a fun, witty play that isn’t too terribly challenging and can be quick stint stunt casting if they feel like they need to go that route. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 11/25/22 at 3:34pm

sppunk said: "an Into The Woods type cast with stars coming and going."

The issue with your statement is that INTO THE WOODS has no stars (in the box office sense) now that Sara Bareilles is gone. It has solid theatre actors and beloved people in THIS community, but their name value does not transcend theatre diehards. ITW is also much more beloved than Mousetrap.

This being a play with, I assume, a somewhat modest capitalization, if they can get a bona fide star (or two or three) for the original cast who commit to 3-5 months, it could recoup in 16 weeks with the original cast. But the play itself will have no significant name value; virtually no plays have enough name value to do $800K+ a week for a sustained period of time, with incredibly rare exceptions (see: convo about Leopoldstadt, an outlyer). In America this will have to be a vehicle for stars.

I wish that wasn't the case, but the industry has rarely indicated otherwise. If a revival of an older play by a famous writer meant ticket sales, we'd see a lot better numbers for non-star revivals by Noel Coward, Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, Eugene O'Neill, Neil Simon, etc.

Updated On: 11/25/22 at 03:34 PM

[JanMaxwellsBag]

Posted: 11/25/22 at 4:55pm

Could this be related to the blind item about Christine Baranski and Cynthia Nixon a few weeks ago?

I’m not familiar with The Mousetrap at all, but glancing at its wiki page, it seems like there’s characters that could fit them both. 

Updated On: 11/25/22 at 04:55 PM

[Highland Guy]

Posted: 11/25/22 at 5:53pm

I saw "Mousetrap" in London in 1968, but had to do some Googling to jog my memory of the production.  Starring as "Miss Casewell" was Stephanie Cole.  I (and perhaps some of you) know her from at least two British TV series:  "Waiting For God" and "Doc Martin".   I remember little of the play, except that I quite enoyed it.  After 55 years it might be time to see it again.   

Hope it's a hit on this side of the pond!

[Robbie2]

Posted: 11/25/22 at 5:57pm

Lavieboheme3090 said: "Pure Speculation on the theater?

Lycium or the Jones...."

 

Lyceum

[Lola Getz2]

Posted: 11/25/22 at 6:04pm

sppunk said: "I think this can be quite successful. Contrary to others, I think you can do an Into The Woods type cast with stars coming and going. It’s a fun, witty play that isn’t too terribly challenging and can be quick stint stunt casting if they feel like they need to go that route."

I think the talent required to perform Into the Woods is a bit more important than the Mousetrap. That's a pretty low bar you are setting "isn't too terribly challenging and a quick stint in stunt casting?" 

Perhaps we need to revisit this thread: 

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.php?thread=1154928

[Highland Guy]

Posted: 11/25/22 at 6:27pm

 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 11/25/22 at 6:33pm

My first thought was how much I’d love to see Dana Ivey in this.