Agatha Christie’s ‘The Mousetrap’ set to make its Darwin debut

The world’s longest-running play is set to make its Darwin debut, and its cast has shed a light on what Territorians can expect from the classic whodunit. Get a spoiler-free glimpse into what it takes to make this murder-mystery come alive.

The world’s longest-running play is set to make its Darwin debut, bringing Territorians to the edge of their seats as they try to solve the classic whodunit.

Agatha Christie’s ‘The Mousetrap’ will take over the Darwin Entertainment Centre from Thursday to Saturday, inviting mystery lovers to try their hand at detective work.

Hannah Fredericksen – who plays Mollie Giles in the play – said she first watched the show during its last tour of Australia and did not solve the mystery herself.

“It’s amazing writing in that there’s a lot of red herrings, so you think you’ve worked it out, you’re sort of pulled in one direction and you’re like, ‘that person’s definitely guilty’ and then suddenly, you’re sort of pulled in another direction,” she said.

“(Agatha Christie fans) are often the ones that are being very careful and they’re going, ‘oh, that’s a classic Agatha Christie move there, I wonder if it’s that person’.”

Hannah Fredericksen and Alex Rathgeber play Mollie and Gile Ralston in Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Ms Fredericksen said the show’s ending was a “tricky” secret to keep, but she enjoyed bringing an audience “into the fold” of the play.

“Even when my partner was running lines with me when I was getting ready to go into rehearsals, I wouldn’t let him read that final quarter of the show, because I didn’t want to ruin the surprise for him so that he would be shocked,” she said.

Alex Rathgeber – who has embodied Giles Ralston since 2022 – said less than five per cent of audience members guessed the murderer correctly.

Mr Rathgeber said the audience’s commitment to keeping the show’s secret for more than 70 years and more than 28,500 performances had evolved into its own mystery.

Both actors said it was incredibly special to continue the play’s “beautiful legacy” and fill “very well-worn shoes”.

The play will run in Darwin from July 11-13, with just a few tickets remaining.

Originally published as Agatha Christie’s ‘The Mousetrap’ set to make its Darwin debut