Three blind mice.
Three blind mice.
See how they run.
See how they run.
They all ran after the farmer’s wife,
Who cut off their tails with a carving knife,
Did you ever see such a sight in your life,
As three blind mice?
Friday night was date night. Anne and I went out on the town for dinner and a show. We got kind of a late start, so dinner wasn’t all that much; we ate at CJ Muggs, the only port in this stormy season of holiday partying and good cheer that we could find. We ended up eating at a table in the bar, but the food and service there was fine. We made it to the theater with only minutes before opening curtain.
The Mousetrap Program Cover
Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap was the show. It was performed on the Repertory Theater’s main stage. Mousetrap was first performed in 1952, in London, and has been running continuously there ever since. Last year, it notched its 25,000 performance. In the Rep’s season, Mousetrap fills the holiday slot. This slot is usually reserved for lighter fare. Normally, a musical or comedy is scheduled in this spot. This year a somewhat formulaic murder mystery was deemed to be not too stressful to all the doctors and lawyers that make up the bulk of the Rep’s clientele these days.
Mousetrap is set in the English countryside. The scene is a British manor house. The set is the manor’s great room. The time is sometime after World War II. A young couple has just opened the manor up as a bed and breakfast. Soon the first guests are expected to arrive, but a huge winter storm is also coming too. An eclectic set of characters descend upon the couple and soon everyone finds themselves cutoff from the outside world.
The Mousetrap Set
Mousetrap is a murder mystery with a twist ending. After each show, audiences are cautioned not to divulge the killer to anyone else. We always see each Rep play at the end of its run. The last show of Mousetrap is tonight. In fact, if you are reading this and not already on your way to the theater, then you are likely going to miss the show all together. So, I could reveal the ending, but I won’t. The play has had a very long and successful run, both worldwide and here in Saint Louis and I don’t want to do anything to diminish any of that.