The Mousetrap at the Guthrie Theater

Agatha Christie

Madelyn Valento

As a young writer, I was told that the best plot twists were the ones that the audience could reasonably figure out. Drop enough hints from the beginning that, when readers go back, they gasp over how they could miss such a thing. 

Unfortunately, Agatha Christie’s murder mystery, “The Mousetrap”, did not accomplish this. Courtesy of the University of Minnesota’s English Department, I was able to see a performance of “The Mousetrap”—the world’s longest running play since it opened in London’s West End in 1952—at the Guthrie Theater. If you know anything about “The Mousetrap,” it’s probably that the audience is asked to never reveal the identity of the murderer after seeing the play. I will keep the murderer’s identity a secret for you, but I will say it was not who I hoped or thought. 

I was looking forward to a good murder mystery, and I was charmed by the characters and actors of this production, but my enjoyment dwindled after that. At intermission, when asked about theories on the murderer, I came up blank. We’d barely been given any information to dissect, and it felt as though only the characters were privy to hints that might help solve the murder. Other clues were dropped only as they became relevant, and it was far too close to the end of the play for me to put all the pieces together. I felt as though this cast of characters, with their distinct personalities and secrets, could’ve been utilized better.

When the curtains closed, I was surprised to feel like I walked out of a comedy rather than a murder mystery, if the laughter in the theater was anything to go by. If that’s what you’re looking for—a good laugh and a lukewarm reveal—then “The Mousetrap” is for you.