The Mousetrap

As there are a large number of non-speaking parts, it may well be that local amateurs can be used, or members of the audience be invited on to the stage, and I believe that this would be greatly to the benefit of the play rather than lose the spectacle of a lot of people in the court scene.

Although Greta never appears at the same time as “The Other Woman,” i.e. the strawberry blonde in the final scene, this part should not be doubled, as the audience will think it is “plot”—which, of course, it isn’t.

The play has given me enormous enjoyment in writing, and I do hope that the repertory companies who do it will derive the same pleasure from it. Good luck.

AGATHACHRISTIE

 

 

CARTER

Can double the Judge

 

 

INSPECTOR HEARNE

Can double Policeman at end of last act

 

 

PLAIN-CLOTHES DETECTIVE

Can be doubled by Warder

 

 

CLERK OF THE COURT

This part can be combined with Court Usher

 

 

ADLERMAN

Can be dispensed with

 

 

COURT STENOGRAPHER

Can be dispensed with

 

 

JUDGE’S CLERK

Can be dispensed with

 

 

SIX BARRISTERS

Four can be dispensed with

 

 

THREE MEMBERS OF THE JURY

These can be dispensed with and the “taking of the oath” and “returning the verdict” can be done by a voice “off”

 

 

MR. MYERS, Q.C.

Can double plain-clothes Detective

 

ACT ONE

SCENE: The Chambers of Sir Wilfrid Robarts, Q.C.

The scene is Sir Wilfrid’s private office. It is a narrow room with the doorL. and a windowR. The window has a deep built-in window seat and overlooks a tall plain brick wall. There is a fireplaceC. of the back wall, flanked by bookcases filled with heavy legal volumes. There is a deskR.C. with a swivel chairR. of it and a leather-covered upright chairL. of it. A second upright chair stands against the bookcasesL. of the fireplace. In the corner upR. is a tall reading desk, and in the corner upL. are some coat-hooks attached to the wall. At night the room is lit by electric candle-lamp wall-bracketsR. andL. of the fireplace and an angle-poise lamp on the desk. The light switch is below the doorL. There is a bell pushL. of the fireplace. The desk has a telephone on it and is littered with legal documents. There are the usual deed boxes and there is a litter of documents on the window seat.

When the Curtain rises it is afternoon and there is sunshine streaming in through the windowR. The office is empty.GRETA, Sir Wilfrid’s typist, enters immediately. She is an adenoidal girl with a good opinion of herself. She crosses to the fireplace, doing a “square dance” step, and takes a paper from a box-file on the mantelpiece.CARTER, the Chief Clerk, enters. He carries some letters.GRETAturns, seesCARTER, crosses and quietly exits.CARTERcrosses to the desk and puts the letters on it. The TELEPHONE rings.CARTERlifts the receiver.