Has anyone seen The Mousetrap?

I've seen it and it's a nice "murder mystery" play. At the end of each performance the cast 'makes a deal' with the audience not to give away the ending (= reveal who was guilty), so people just have to go and see it themselves...

Updated On: 4/17/06 at 03:15 PM

But what makes it so good that it's been running for over 20,000 performances?

I saw it in London when I was 13 and it was so good. It had you on the edge of your seat the whole way through.

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I saw the play 20 years ago, and it's typical Agatha Christie. (I was a big fan in High School.) There's nothing really special about the show. It's a fun, little murder mystery (old fashioned). Nothing more or less.

I believe, it's mostly supported by tourists. One of those phenomenons. Little rational reason why it still is playing if you ask me. I'm glad I saw it for the history and to say that I've seen it.

The one character is typically played as "gay" or "fey", but usually by a man. It's the best part in the show, if you ask me.

It's a tourist attraction as much as Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London. An obligatory stop for out of towners on their first visit to London. It has NOTHING whatsoever to do with the actual quality (or lack thereof) of the show itself and hasn't for decades. The principal attraction is now (and has been for some time) that it's the longest running show in the world and people want to be able to say that they saw it.

The same was true with THE FANTASTICKS. There were some truly mediocre casts they put on the stage through those 40+ years it ran (it was truly awful one night when I saw it in the 80s and half the audience walked out at intermission), but it kept attracting people who wanted to be able to say that they saw "the world's longest running musical."

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i saw it at my friends highschool, she was the lead girl. and it was incredible. i keep trying to talk my theatre director into doing it but its too small of a cast...so we might to Ten Little Indians instead. but nothing tops Mousetrap

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I read it when I was 14 or 15 and really loved it, and i guess i still do, because the second act had me thinking I knew the ending and then it completly turned around and went in a new direction. Not to say the end isn't completly predictable, but what I think is so great about the mousetrap is that up until the very last moment it has potential to go in alot of different directions. Theres my 2 cents.

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I resisted seeing it for years and years when visiting London, until I suddenly decided to give it a try some years ago. Not exactly the most riveting or most exciting play, but since I have read most of Agatha Christie's books, I was curious how her stories translate on stage. Hmmm... I think I prefer the book form

Yes, it stopped being a "good" show to see and became one of those things that you go to see when in London (the Tower of London and Big Ben) a long time ago.

When I saw it in London ages ago, I got more emotionally involved by reading the souvenir program than I did with the show. And I am a big Agatha Christie fan, too.

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I saw "The Mousetrap" in London a couple of years ago. Its longevity has nothing to do with its script. The production is well-maintained and the cast skates the fine edge of camp. Everyone in the audience knows it's a tourist attraction, but it's not unlike going to the Sing-along "Sound of Music."

During the same trip, I saw "The Graduate" and "Noises Off", both of which I found dull and forced.

I saw it in London about 15 years ago and loved it for what it was, an old fashioned British sittingroom murder mystery of an era long gone. And, where else can you be served a cup of tea in your seat at interval (matinees only).

For many years Australian producers have been trying to get the Performance Rights for this territory. These will never be granted, at least not while the show's audience is populated by Australian tourists.