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There’s no business like showbusiness for Sir Stephen Waley-Cohen. The former financial journalist has run the phenomenally successful stage show The Mousetrap for more than 20 years. He talked about the show as its first national tour reaches its final leg in Kent.
Although I have seen some bits of it a lot of times. Sometimes I watch to see how a production is doing. I tend to see the first half hour of the show and the second half hour of act one. When I was asked to take over the management I came to see it, which would have been in 1987/8. I had no idea of the ending.
Every cast brings something slightly different to it. The words are the same, the gestures are sometimes similar but it’s never identical. We get a new cast every nine months.
It is very loosely based on a true story. One of the children died in the true story. Agatha Christie was interested in plotting and character and motives. There’s no bad language, too so it’s suitable for children from about the ages of 10 or 11.
They did some research about why people don’t give away the ending. They concluded no one wants to admit they don’t know, and I think most importantly, when they come to see The Mousetrap they want to have a great time – they don’t want to spoil it for their friends who haven’t seen it. So they keep the secret.
They wanted someone who was in the theatre business and also was a business person, understanding business more generally. I became a trustee and then chairman. I haven’t ever done any acting – what I did at school, I was very bad at! I’m better sticking to the business side of things.
People are still coming in their numbers to see it. I think it will go on and on. It’s going to last longer than I am.
THE MOUSETRAP - THE FACTS
Agatha Christie gave her grandson, Mathew Prichard, the royalties from The Mousetrap for his ninth birthday, now the chairman of Agatha Christie Ltd. Recently he has donated them to help charities for the arts and other causes, especially in Wales.
The clock on the mantelpiece is the only prop left from the original production.
When the show opened in 1952, there was still rationing, Winston Churchill was Prime Minister, Stalin was ruler of Russia and TV programmes ended at 10.30pm.
Read our interview with Mathew Prichard here.
The Mousetrap has several entries in the Guinness Book of Records...
1 The longest continuous run of any show in the world.
2 Most durable actor (David Raven, who played Major Metcalf for 4,575 performances from July 1957 to November 1968).
3 Longest serving understudy (Nancy Seabrooke, who stood by as Mrs Boyle 6,240, playing the role 72 times).
The first ever tour of the show, for its 60th anniversary has already been seen by almost one million people.
DETAILS
The Mousetrap is at the Assembly Hall Theatre, Tunbridge Wells from Monday, November 7 to Saturday, November 12.
For tickets from £28, visit assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk or call 01892 530613.
