Cam High’s Drama Department is performing one of Agatha Christie’s classic stories, The Mousetrap, and the production was both engaging and accurate.

The Mousetrap is a play that was extremely popular in the United Kingdom in the twentieth century. As the longest running West End show, it has had over 25,000 showings in different parts of the world. The play is a murder mystery centered around the characters Miss Casewell, Detective Sergeant Trotter, Mollie Ralston, Giles Ralston, Major Metcalf, Mrs. Boyle, Mr. Paravicini, and Christopher Wren, all of which have different possible motives for committing the various murders that take place throughout the duration of the play.

At the beginning of the play, I was already intrigued by the immensely detailed set the crew created. Since the play is set in England during the mid-1900’s, the atmosphere was old-fashioned down to the smallest details: from the old books on the coffee table to the trinkets cluttering the desk, every component added to the setting.

In the first act, the characters were well-developed upon their introduction. It was not just the script that made them so interesting: each actor and actress knew how to represent their role perfectly to add to the mysterious and suspenseful mood of the play. It was obvious how much work and practice the cast and crew dedicated to memorizing the lines and stage directions. By the end of the first act, everyone was already placing bets on who the murderer was, especially since it ended just as the murder was committed.

The second act was just as suspenseful as the first. This is when most of the action and accusations took place. By that point, all the characters were equally suspicious, all for different reasons, which ultimately made the ending incredibly unexpected.

Overall, the entire play was very enjoyable and interesting to watch. The acting completely elevated such a classic script, and it felt like going back in time for about two hours and being in the room while one of the most famous murder plots was being solved. It was easy to get completely immersed in. I highly recommend this play for people who enjoy fast-paced plots, high intensity situations, and are naturally curious.