The chillingly exciting classic detective novel Mousetrap will be seen on HKT’s Arena stage
Agatha Christie’s classic detective novel The Mousetrap (1952) will premiere on HKT’s intense Arena stage on 7 September. The work, which premiered in London in 1952, is the world’s longest-running play. The play for the stage of the Helsinki City Theatre is directed by Miika Muranen.
Mollie and Giles are a young couple who are opening a Monkswell boarding house in an old heritage mansion in the middle of the peace of the countryside. When everything is ready for the customers, a snowstorm hits and the plans are disrupted. At the same time, the police are broadcasting on the radio about a murder in London, the perpetrator of which is being sought. A group of demanding guests make it through the storm to the warmth of the mansion, and just before the snow surrounds the mansion and blocks the roads, the police arrive to warn of the murderer, who has left a message: the next victim will be found in the Monkswell boarding house. How does a murderer get from the middle of a snowstorm to the mansion? Or is he already there?
“The Mousetrap is the undisputed number one work of suspense plays, and making it for the Arena stage has been inspiring for such a heavy consumer of detective stories. We tried to make our version as dense as possible and to wrap the viewers in the tension of the icy mansion with a tight grip. Agatha Christie drew her text from real events, which adds a bit more to Mousetrap ,” says director Miika Muranen .
Detective queen Agatha Christie’s Mousetrap is set in nostalgic 1950s England. The work, which premiered in London in 1952, is the world’s longest-running play, an undisputed classic and a theatrical phenomenon. In 2022, the play celebrated its 70th anniversary, during which it has been performed almost 29,000 times in London alone to ten million viewers.
The roles of the detective novel are played by Elina Keinonen, Severi Saarinen, Sanna-June Hyde, Sauli Suonpää, Joel Hirvonen, Helena Haaranen, Santeri Kinnunen and Risto Kaskilahti.
The set design was designed by Katariina Kirjavainen, the costumes by Laura Dammert and the camouflage by Henri Karjalainen. The lighting design is by Petteri Heiskanen and the sound design by Eradj Nazimov. The play has been translated into Finnish by Aino Piirola. The performance rights are supervised by Nordic Drama Corner Oy/Nordiska ApS.
Read Miika Muranen’s interview on the theatre’s website: Chilling tension in a closed space.
Mousetrap premieres on 7.9.2023 at the Helsinki City Theatre’s Arena stage (Hämeentie 2).
Tickets: basic ticket 46 €, student ticket 23 € (Mon-Thu) and pensioner ticket 43 € (Mon-Thu). #hiirenloukku @hktfi
Helsinki City Theatre’s ticket sales and customer service by phone (09) 394022 Mon-Fri 9 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. Ticket offices First line 2, Mon-Fri 11-17.30, Eläintarhantie 5, Sat (on performance days) 11-18 and one hour before the performance and Lippu.fi, Mon-Sat 9-21, Sun 10-18, tel. 0600 900 900 (2 €/min + local network charge) www.hkt.fi
In the photo: Risto Kaskilahti, Elina Keinonen, Severi Saarinen, Sanna-June Hyde, Helena Haaranen, Santeri Kinnunen, Joel Hirvonen and Sauli Suonpää. Photo: Otto-Ville Väätäinen.
Further information, media ticket reservations and interview requests:
Kaisa Pelkonen, Communications Manager, kaisa.pelkonen@hkt.fi, 040 552 3788
Helsinki City Theatre, Ensi linja 2, 00530 Helsinki