In a bold move for London's theatrical landscape, acclaimed director Ola Ince has taken the reins of Agatha Christie's legendary whodunnit The Mousetrap, suggesting that fans of contemporary suspense shows like The Traitors and Only Murders in the Building will find the original murder mystery equally compelling.
A Fresh Perspective on a Classic
The 36-year-old director, celebrated for her innovative interpretations of Shakespeare at The Globe, is bringing her distinctive vision to the world's longest-running play, now in its 73rd year in London's West End. Ince revealed that Christie's drama about strangers trapped in a remote guesthouse with a killer is far 'juicier' than she had initially presumed.
'In life we all fancy ourselves as detectives,' Ince observed. 'She creates such nuanced and quirky characters that you want to get to know them and figure out whodunnit. It's full of intrigue and mischief, funny as well as thrilling.'
Drawing direct comparisons to modern television sensations, she added: 'Shows like The Traitors and Only Murders in the Building are really popular right now. This is the original for people who want to lock in and see the real deal.'
Rediscovering Christie's Radical Commentary
Ince approaches classic works by challenging inherited traditions, a method she successfully applied to productions of Othello, Romeo and Juliet, and The Crucible. She discovered that Christie was a surprisingly sharp commentator on postwar class structure, a aspect often overlooked.
'With John Osborne, everyone spoke about how radical it was having working-class people on stage doing mundane things like ironing in Look Back in Anger,' Ince noted. 'But at the top of Act 1 Scene 2 she's got Mollie Ralston hoovering. That was pretty radical too!'
She emphasised Christie's relevance to contemporary social discussions: 'The play says a lot about injustice and the change that needed to happen. The upper classes are falling away and there's this want for equity.'
Modernising While Preserving Legacy
Ince's production introduces several thoughtful updates to 'heighten what already exists,' including a new sound design by Max Perryment to 'enhance the psychology of the play and the thrill of it.' The team has rearranged furniture and installed new speakers while remaining faithful to Christie's original manuscript and author's notes.
The director navigates the delicate balance of updating the script while preserving its historical context. 'I've come into a version of the play that omits some of the more hostile language, some old-fashioned sexism,' she explained. 'But at the same time I'm cautious of erasing too much because it's true of the time.'
Ince stressed the importance of maintaining character complexity: 'If you make everyone a bit squeaky clean then you're avoiding that maybe someone's an arsehole and that's interesting – or that can be a red herring.'
The Mousetrap's extraordinary run includes more than 30,000 performances since its 1952 premiere, featuring an original cast that included Richard Attenborough as the detective alongside his wife Sheila Sim as Mollie Ralston. The production has been overwhelmingly directed by men throughout its history, with Phyllida Lloyd's 60th anniversary gala being a notable exception.
Ince, who describes Lloyd as her 'theatre mum' after working as international associate director on the Tina Turner musical, represents a significant step toward greater diversity in West End leadership. She reflected on the ongoing challenges: 'I think there are peaks and troughs when it feels like the world is a bit spicier because there's more diversity. Then it kind of dissipates because they've done that for a season.'
The show's producer, Brian Fenty, expressed enthusiasm about Ince's appointment: 'Ola is a force of nature – a director who understands what it means to be both a steward of history and a challenger of complacency. Her creative instinct is first-class, and her care and love for Agatha Christie's world is as heartening as it is inspiring.'
As a new cast prepares to bring Ince's vision to life at St Martin's Theatre, where the production has resided since 1974, the director hopes audiences will rediscover Christie's brilliance as a playwright. 'I'd love people to celebrate her more as a playwright,' Ince said, noting that at times throughout its run, The Mousetrap has been the only play by a female playwright in the West End.
