ARTS & CULTURE
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KANSAN.COM
Agatha Christie's 'The Mousetrap' comes to the University stage
SAMANTHA SEXTON/KANSAN
Ridley Park, playing character Sergeant Trotter, thinks through the motives for murder in a rehearsal for Agatha Christie's "The Mousetrap." From left to right: Michael L. Rapport (Mr. Paravicini), Joseph Fournier (Major Metcalf) and Park.
SAMANTHA SEXTON
@SamBiscuit
The longest-running show of any genre in modern history will make its appearance on the University stage this Friday.
The murder mystery "The Mouse-trap," written by Agatha Christie, creates suspense with its tale of a gruesome murder and those unlucky enough to be caught in between.
The play's plot focuses on seven individuals who have become snowed in at a guesthouse in a post-World War II London. Tensions rise after a murder takes place within the house. The rest of the play is a back-and-forth among the characters, each trying to figure out who could have committed the heinous crime.
"The Mousetrap" is famous for its twist ending, which audience members have been asked to keep secret after leaving the show since Agatha Christie first opened the show.
"KU called me up this summer and asked if I wanted to direct 'Mousetrap,' said Doug Weaver, guest director, director of Equity Actors' Readers' Theatre in Kansas City and former University professor. "I love the play so much, and I love Lawrence and KU, so I had to take the job."
Weaver has done his best to keep the performance as accurate to the source material as possible. Actors were schooled on their various accents and vernacular in rehearsal, and the props are authentic.
"We managed to get a bit of recording for a radio broadcast that was actually used during the 1952 premiere of the show," Weaver said.
Weaver said he was "thankful and excited" to take on the role of director for the Kansas Repertory
Theatre, which partnered with the University Theatre to make this performance possible. Still, Weaver said he was wary about the challenges he might have to face — especially regarding the actors.
"I didn't cast the show; it was cast before I got involved, so I had no idea who I was going to be working with," Weaver said.
Before Weaver, the Kansas Repertory Theatre had already chosen a director for the play who made the decisions about the cast and crew. When the original choice of director didn't work out, Weaver was called in to take the director's chair, but he wasn't the only one worried about the future of the production.
"I had my eye on this other director whom I had worked with before," said Aiden Lindholm, a senior from McPherson majoring in theatre performance, who plays Christopher Wren. "So I wasn't too sure when we got Doug."
However, Weaver made a strong impression. Lindholm said he quickly came to respect the guest director and his methods.
"The second day of rehearsal, Doug brought each of us Agatha Christie books to read," Lindholm said. "I've done about six plays at KU so far but I think Doug has really become my favorite director to work with."
Weaver's passion for mystery and especially for Christie's work was the driving force behind bringing the cast and crew together, Lindholm said.
"I usually hate mysteries and I did not like the script when I read it," said Kevin Siess, a senior from Lawrence and a first-time stage manager and assistant director. "I needed a job and so I applied, but I thought it was just going to be one of those run
Lindholm said he felt much of the same under-excitement for the production early on in the rehearsal process.
"I had never heard of Agatha Christie," Lindholm said, "and I just thought this would all be one big cliche."
Forever the Christie fan, Weaver found a way to light the fires of motivation for his cast and crew with his own drive and his own experience with the play. Though Weaver had never directed "The Mousetrap" before, he had seen his wife, a professional actress, perform in the show in Kansas City.
of the mill 'whodunit' mysteries."
"「Weaver」really flung us into it,"
Lindholm said. "After I learned more about it, I began to really fall in love with it. 'Mousetrap' really was the first murder mystery play and it really set the precedent for what makes a good mystery. It's really a lot more than I had originally thought."
Weaver seemed to make converts of all the cynics in his cast and crew, even changing Siess' mind about the 'whodunit' murder mystery.
"After we got it on its feet, especially with our great cast, I've just fallen in love with the show," Siess said. "The characters are so unique and the back-and-forth among them is my favorite part, and figuring out where the characters belong within the mystery is really fun."
If anyone involved in the play wants to do it justice,it would be Weaver.
"Anyone who wants to do mystery wants to do 'Mousetrap,'" Weaver said. "It's the pinnacle of mystery, but it offers so much more than that. Even if you don't enjoy mysteries, you'll love this show. It's the characters; they really bring it to life."
"The Mousetrap" plays this Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m.at the William Inge Memorial Theatre in Murphy Hall.The show will also play July 31 at 7:30 p.m. and Aug. 2 at 2:30 p.m.