The 70th anniversary tour of Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap - the longest running play in the world - will visit over 70 venues across the UK and Ireland from September, with its first northern dates at the Liverpool Empire (November 7-12).
The genre-defining murder mystery will open the anniversary tour at the Theatre Royal Nottingham (September 27-October 1) where it held its original world premiere in 1952. The thriller will then visit venues across the country – including all the cities to which it originally toured 70 years ago, and many more.
Other dates so far announced include Manchester Opera House (November 28-December 3); York Grand Opera House (February 6-March 11, 2023), Blackpool Grand, (June 19-24, 2023) and Buxton Opera House (September 18-23, 2023).
Launching the tour will be Todd Carty – best known for his television role as Mark Fowler in EastEnders – as Major Metcalf. Todd has also been a contestant on Dancing on Ice and Celebrity Masterchef.
TV actress Gwyneth Strong – best-known for playing Rodney's long-suffering wife Cassandra in Only Fools and Horses – will return to the role of Mrs Boyle for initial venues on the tour.
Following its 1952 premiere tour, The Mousetrap opened in the West End, where it continues its record-breaking engagement – 28,500 performances and 10 million tickets sold – at the St Martin’s Theatre.
If there's anyone who still doesn't know the story, news spreads of a murder in London and a group of seven strangers find themselves snowed in at Monkswell Manor, a remote countryside guesthouse. When a police sergeant arrives, the guests discover a killer is in their midst. One by one, the suspicious characters reveal their sordid pasts.