The Mousetrap

CARLA

Ann Firbank

 

 

JEFF ROGERS

Mark Eden

 

 

PHILIP BLAKE

Anthony Marlowe

 

 

MEREDITH BLAKE

Laurence Hardy

 

 

LADY MELKSHAM

Lisa Daniely

 

 

MISS WILLIAMS

Margot Boyd

 

 

ANGELA WARREN

Dorothy Bromiley

 

 

CAROLINE CRALE

Ann Firbank

 

 

AMYAS CRALE

Nigel Green

 

DIRECTEDBYHUBERTGREGG

Décor by MICHAEL WEIGHT

 

SYNOPSIS OF SCENES

ACT I

London

SCENE 1   A lawyer’s office

SCENE 2   A City office

SCENE 3   A room in an hotel suite

SCENE 4   A bed-sitting-room

SCENE 5   A table in a restaurant

ACT II

Alderbury, a house in the West of England

Time—the present. Autumn

 

AUTHOR’S NOTE

Carla and her mother, Caroline Crale, are played by the same actress.

As regards the characters in Act II, PHILIP is not greatly changed, but his hair is not grey at the temples, and he is more slender, his manner is less pompous. MEREDITH is less vague, and more alert, his face is less red, and there is no grey in his hair. There is very little change in MISS WILLIAMS, except that she is also not so grey. ANGELA can have plaits, or long hair. ELSA must present the greatest change from LADY MELKSHAM, young, and eager, with her hair on her neck. CAROLINE is distinguishable from CARLA by a different hair style, as well as by an older make-up. Her voice, too, must be different, deeper in tone, and her manner more impulsive and intense.

Each scene of Act I represents a small portion of a room. In the original production the scenes were on trucks, but the whole of this Act can be quite simply staged by lighting up different parts of the stage in turn, or by cut-outs.

ACT ONE

Scene I

SCENE—Justin Fogg’s room in the offices of Fogg, Fogg, Bamfylde and Fogg, Solicitors. An early autumn afternoon in London.

The room is rather old-fashioned and cramped for space. The walls are lined with books. An arch upLCleads to the rest of the building and there is a sash window across the corner upR. A large desk and swivel chair stand in front of the window. There is a chairCfor visitors, and a table covered with files is against the wallL. There is a telephone on the desk.

When theCURTAINrises, the stage is in darkness, then theLIGHTScome up.JUSTINFOGGis seated at the desk, speaking into the telephone. The window is half-open.JUSTINis a young man in the early thirties, sober, staid, but likeable.

JUSTIN. (into the telephone) I quite see your point, Mrs. Ross, but the Law can’t be hurried, you know—

(TURNBALL, an elderly clerk, appears in the archway. He is carrying a file)

—we have to wait for their solicitors to reply to our letter . . .

(TURNBALL coughs)

(To Turnball) Come in, Turnball. (Into the telephone) No, it would be most inadvisable for you to take any steps yourself . . . Yes, we will keep you informed. (He replaces the receiver) Women!

(TURNBALL places the file on the desk in front of Justin)

Miss Le Marchant?

TURNBALL. She’s here now, sir.

JUSTIN. Show her in, Turnball. I don’t want any interruptions at all. Put anything urgent through to Mr. Grimes.

TURNBALL. Very good, sir.

(TURNBALL exits. JUSTIN rises, crosses to the table L, selects a file, returns to his desk, sits, and puts Turnball’s file in the desk drawer. TURNBALL re-enters and stands to one side)

(He announces) Miss Le Marchant.

(CARLA enters. She is aged twenty-one, pretty, and determined. She wears a coat and carries bag and gloves. She speaks with a Canadian accent. TURNBALL exits)