The Mousetrap’s 56th birthday was celebrated yesterday with a presentation by representatives from Guinness World Records, confirming the thriller’s reign as the world’s longest running stage show.
Agatha Christie’s tale of murder at a country house opened at the Ambassador’s theatre on 25 November 1952, transferring next door to the St Martin’s theatre in March 1974.
Since that opening night, 382 performers have appeared in the piece and 116 miles of shirts have been ironed.
The Mousetrap’s 50th birthday was celebrated back in 2002 with a Royal Gala Performance attended by Her Majesty The Queen and The Duke Of Edinburgh. Yesterday’s celebration was of a more subdued nature, with a certificate presented by Guinness World Records to Sir Stephen Waley-Cohen, producer of The Mousetrap, in the presence of Agatha Christie’s grandson Matthew Pritchard, who confirmed that when he returns to see the long-running thriller with his own grandchildren next month five generations of the family will have enjoyed the show. “I think if you told my grandmother that in 1952 it would have been beyond belief,” he said.
Waley-Cohen added: “A few years ago I was asked how long I thought [The Mousetrap] would run, and I said I don’t see why it should ever end. I hope that remains true.”
MA