Review: Hiirenloukku

The mousetrap entertains suitably

Written by Agatha Christie, The Mousetrap is a murder mystery set in the English countryside in the 50s, for which the author herself did not predict a very long life on stage at the time. The performance, which premiered in 1952, surprised everyone and celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2022. The play has been performed continuously longer than any other text.

Miika Muranen’s direction is unpretentious and takes you to the 50’s milieu in a very authentic way, also in terms of set and costumes. The arena’s stage is a bit cramped with the quintessentially English heavy furnishings, but it turns around perfectly. Music is only used in places to create an atmosphere, and the same is done with lights and shadows. Even though there is a lot of talk, the speed is created by the almost farcical trotting through many doors.

The events start when the young couple Mollie (Elina Keinonen) and Giles (Severi Saarinen) are about to open a boarding house in their inherited manor and are waiting for their first guests. Everything should be carefully thought out, but heavy snowfall begins that threatens to block the roads. What will happen to the guests? In addition, the radio constantly informs about a murder that took place in a nearby town, the perpetrator of which is being sought and the residents of the area are urged to be on their guard. Keinonen and Saarinen carry their roles freshly throughout the play, sometimes even reining in the wild action.

When all the guests have finally arrived, they find themselves trapped in the snow, and it’s not sure if there’s even enough food. To top it all off, one more body is added, which makes all the residents of the boarding house and the host couple restless. Especially the young Christopher Wren, played brilliantly by Sauli Suonpää , is terrified to the hilt and runs around recklessly.

The stage will also feature Risto Kaskilahti and Santeri Kinnunen, who are known to be masters of timing and masters of comedy. In addition to them, there are a delightful number of fresh faces in the roles.

Set in one room, the murder mystery is full of misleading clues and people who seem more suspicious than each other. Eventually, the police (Joel Hirvonen) arrive. Anyone in the gang could be a murderer. In the end, however, the culprit manages to surprise everyone, both on stage and in the audience, which is also Christie’s cleverly plotted purpose. The performance is entertaining and excellent for that purpose.