Age Restriction: Recommended for ages 12 and over. Important Info: We recommend patrons arrive at least 15 minutes in advance of the show start time. Please note that the theatre are no longer accepting bags into the theatre cloakrooms. St Martins Theatre will continue to carry out bag searches and accept there may be some delays to patrons, please be aware that your bags will need to be checked before being seated. When it comes to iconic productions in the capital, they don’t come much bigger than The Mousetrap. Patch Master Of Defense.

Agatha Christie’s long-running play has been entertaining theatregoers in this part of the world since 1952, with a continuous run taking it right up to the modern day. So not only is the show the longest-running in the UK, it also has the distinction of being the longest running continuous show in the world! So now that the production is in its 65th year in the West End, having transferred from the to its current home without a break in performances back in 1974, what can audiences expect to see when they head to the St Martin’s Theatre to witness events unfold? Let’s start with the title ‘The Mousetrap’.

This is aptly named as the plot is centred upon a group of people who have been ’ensnared’ as a result of heavy snow. A policeman arrives at the hotel and warns the guests that a killer is on the loose. Later on, one of the hotel guests is murdered and everyone suddenly realises that the murderer is likely to be one of them! From then on, the plot twists and turns as each of the guests tries to guess who the murderer is.

Only at the end do we find out who the real killer is. What sets this play apart is that the audience are asked at the end of each production not to reveal the identity of the murderer to anyone outside of the theatre. The play starts with a converted hotel, formerly known as Monkswell Manor, which is in a rural location. This is a relatively new hotel run by a young couple – Giles and Mollie Ralston. Due to a heavy snowfall, they and the guests are trapped in the hotel until it clears. They are joined by a passer-by who has been forced to take shelter in the hotel as his car is stuck in the snow. They learn from the police that a dangerous killer is on the loose and so they must take care.