26 | September 12, 2013 | cambridge-news.co.uk | Cambridge News

The critical list: more hot ticketsTheatre

IT’S the longest running show in theworld of theatre – now that’s quitean achievement. Agatha Christie’s

The Mousetrap is what you call theultimate murder mystery and is aboutto embark on its 60th anniversarydiamond tour.

If you haven’t seen it before, firstly,where have you been? And secondly,as you can imagine, it does of courseinvolve a murder, a country house anda host of suspicious guests – as all goodmurder mysteries do, and don’t forgetthe twist…

Ella Walker briefly caught up withone of the show’s stars, Karl Howman,who is reprising his role as theshadowy Mr Paravicini.

How would you describe yourcharacter (without giving the gameaway)?This was written in 1952, which wasonly seven years after the war ended,so an Italian foreigner, a stranger whoarrives at the house seeking refugefrom the blizzard, is, one would say, avillain. Everyone who was foreign wasa suspect then you see, it didn’t matterwhat country, especially the ones wewere opposing like Italy and Germany.

Is he even really Italian?Supposedly Italian – in those daysyou had to take people for their wordbecause we didn’t have Wikipedia, youcouldn’t just get your phone out. Youhad to take people’s word for it which isreally the strength of Christie, becauseif anybody says something to you, youcan’t check, especially if you’re trapped;and the characters are because ofthe blizzard.

What appealed youabout The Mousetrap?It was AgathaChristie: it was

iconic. I justwanted to be a

part of it and it’s my 60th year too,so this is the perfect time.

You’re also writing the follow upto your 2010 film Fathers of Girls(which starred Ray Winstone).Youmust be busy, writing, touring andperforming every night.No, no, no, don’t put it down thatI’m busy! You’d pass a hundredpeople on the street who are 100times busier than me! I sit at a deskand if I think of something I’ll writeit down, that’s how busy I am, andthen I stroll into a theatre, go onstage, enjoy myself in front of athousand people and then walkoff, go home, have something toeat and go to bed. Now that isn’tbusy, that’s enjoyment.

Why do you think The Mousetrapis so enduringly popular?I’ll give you three reasons. First,Agatha Christie the brand;a worldwide brand, bookspublished in every countrymore or less, and the play doeswhat it says on the tin, it’s anAgatha Christie thriller. Two, TheMousetrap was her first play, itwas only performed in the WestEnd apart from a brief tour soit created a club, a “Who’s seenThe Mousetrap?” Club. And wordof mouth: you’ve got to see TheMousetrap and then you’re gotto keep quiet about who did it!And the third thing I think isthe popularity of the televisionseries, Miss Marple and Poirot.The production qualities are

just marvellous, in myopinion they’re just

brilliant.

So, who’stempted to joinThe Mousetrapclub?

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� The Mousetrap, Cambridge Corn Exchange, Monday, September 16 – Saturday,September 21 at 7.30pm. Tickets £25 – £31.50 from (01223) 357 851 / www.cornex.co.uk

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