The Mousetrap

Dear Director,

after seeing your play “The Mousetrap”, performed some days ago at the theatre, I felt inside me the need of telling you my impressions, what I think about it.

First of all I’ve to say it was one of the most boring plays I’ve ever seen. All the impressions and feelings you’ve reading my book are completely changed, the whole atmosphere has not been followed, and also the description of some of the characters has been left out.

One think left my very perplexed, I can’t explain myself why did you cut each character’s entrances. I know it probably would have been too long for the audience, but it’d permit the people who didn’t read the story, to understand it, it could have a positive face in giving clarity to the whole play. For example the suspense Mr. Paravicini gives when broke into the Manor wasn’t present at all in your play. He seemed to be the joker, instead he should have been the mysterious man, gentle with women, but this characteristic has been lost in his strange movements, wanted perhaps to imitate the famous Italian gesticulation. Another thing that struck me in a negative way was Major Mecalf, it was represented better than all the other characters, but you decided to relegate him only with a small part, all his rule in finding out the murder had been cut.

The use of the hairs, important to discover sergeant Trotter’s identity, but also to define Christopher’s nature, didn’t strike the audience at it should have done. For what concerns Giles, it’s my opinion that you gave too much importance to him but this could be a very good idea to divert the attention, and to make the final still more difficult to discover.

Now, not talking about actors and characters, I found the play, as setting and music, too much reductive and minimalist. The Manor should have been so comfortable on seen, warm and hospitable, in opposition to the eternal complains of Mrs. Boyle, instead it was empty and cold, a setting used to make imagination work, but knowing the age and the culture of the audience, it wasn’t very appropriated. For example, the windows weren’t for me well done, the light came in from the street, even if it was snowing and dark, and it was too much unreal. There was also the idea of the sliding door, it was good for the actors, it was also a new strange idea to make people disappear and it could give the idea of mystery, but it took too much away the attention of the audience, even if the moments in which the entrances and the exits of the actors were the most suitable.

Performing a detective story, music must be used to give suspense and to stop breaths for a while, in your play instead, music was so silly, only a few notes, right as tones, also frightening sometimes, but that were threw in the middle of a conversation, as if they were talking in the worst moment, as if they wronged their entrances.

One think I’ve to tell you I liked so much: the lights. They really gave the idea of frighten, of suspense and sometimes of terror, too, they could focus the attention on the character they want to elevate, to become first in the moment, and that was helped by the sloped floor. A great mix if light and movements on the stage could really gave the feeling of power or of weakness, this, I don’t fell good on saying it, was the only merit I could find in all your representation.

Sincerely,

Agatha Christie.