Customer Reviews

The Mousetrap and Other Plays

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As a mystery novelist with my debut book in its initial release (and a one-time drama coach), I enjoy Agatha Christie's THE MOUSETRAP every time I view it. The text itself is a great read, and when it is properly staged, the play is spectacular. For those of you not familiar with THE MOUSETRAP, the plot involves a classic cozy murder mystery--perhaps the classic cozy murder mystery. The characters are well-drawn, and my wife even verbally gasped when she first saw the play's final plot twist. Great work. I hope it survives forever.

"The Mousetrap" may be THE classic stage mystery of all time; if you're ever in London, GO SEE IT! Failing that, read it here, along with "Ten Little Indians" (with a different ending from the book that does not upset the pattern of the plot), "Witness for the Prosecution" (with a double whammy shocker at the final curtain), and five other plays, each with its own unique quality. Interestingly, three of the plays - "Appointment With Death," "The Hollow," and "Go Back for Murder," are adapted (by Christe herself) from Poirot novels ("Go Back for Murder" is from the book "Five Little Pigs"), but none of the plays features Poirot, and, guess what: YOU WON'T MISS HIM! "Appointment with Death" has a different murderer in the play than in the book. Read the plays and compare them to the novels; double your pleasure!

i didn't care much for the other stories but Mousetrap was real good - I seem to have bought this book long ago- ofcourse the cover was different. What particularly impressed me about Mousetrap was that there were not many people in the cottage who could have "done it" and yet it was impossible to tell "who did it!"

Agatha Christie (1890-1972) made her reputation with a series of mystery novels so widely read that she is often considered the single best selling novelist in the history publishing--but from about the mid-1940s to around the end of the 1950s she had another claim to fame: she was a playwright who created one hit after another.

THE MOUSETRAP AND OTHER PLAYS does not contain all of Christie's plays, but it does contain a good chunk of them: TEN LITTLE INDIANS; APPOINTMENT WITH DEATH; THE HOLLOW; THE MOUSETRAP; WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION; TOWARDS ZERO; VERDICT; and GO BACK FOR MURDER, all of which were staged between 1943 and 1960.

The "monster" hit of Christie's career as a playwright was THE MOUSETRAP, which opened in London in 1952... and continues to play to packed houses more than fifty years later, the longest continual run in theatrical history. Based on a short story which was in turn based on a radio sketch, the play presents us with newly-married Giles and Molly, who have decided to open a guest house in rural England--only to find themselves and their guests snowed in with a killer. The play is classic Christie, presenting us with an isolated group of people and a truly jaw-dropping final twist; it is also remarkably well-written, tightly structured.

Even so, most critics tend to dismiss THE MOUSETRAP in favor Christie's second stunner: the celebrated WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION, which opened in London in 1953 and proved a smash both there and in New York. The play is essentially a courtroom drama: Leonard Vole has been accused of the murder of a somewhat elderly woman and only the testimony of his wife can save him from certain conviction. But his wife, Romaine, is a unknown quantity, a mysterious woman who may have her own reasons for wanting to see Leonard hang. Can the eloquent Sir Wilson, acting for the defense, save his client from death? Like THE MOUSETRAP, the conclusion is a stunner--but with a double twist that has continued to shock and astonish audiences in its numerous revivals and the celebrate film version for well over fifty years.

There is a third "great" success in this volume, and it is TEN LITTLE INDIANS, adapted directly from the Christie novel AND THEN THERE WERE NONE. Opening in London in 1943, it successfully transferred to New York and in both instances enjoyed long runs before becoming an extremely popular title in regional, community, and educational theatre, where it remains a staple to this day. The basic story is extremely well known: ten people are invited for an island getaway by an unknown host--and once cut off from the world are accused of having committed murders that the law cannot touch. They are then picked off one by one in accordance with the nursery rhyme posted above the fireplace. Read today, TEN LITTLE INDIANS is distinctly old fashioned--but that's part of the fun, and the conclusion contains a surprise twist that will amuse those who have read and enjoyed the Christie novel upon which it is based.

The remaining plays might be described as "distinctly of their time" and vary significantly in terms of quality. The two weakest titles are the 1945 APPOINTMENT WITH DEATH and the 1958 VERDICT. Based on the Christie novel of the same name, APPOINTMENT WITH DEATH lacks the focus found in most Christie works; it was not a success, opening and closing in London within a few weeks. VERDICT, which Christie wrote for the stage as an original work, was reasonably successful--and was a bit of a departure for Christie in the sense that it is more suspense than mystery. Read today, however, it has a distinctly implausible quality.

THE HOLLOW, TOWARDS ZERO, and GO BACK FOR MURDER are much stronger plays, with the latter easily the best--and certainly the most interesting in terms of staging. Based on the Christie novel THE FIVE LITTLE PIGS, this 1960 play finds a young woman determined to get to the bottom of a family scandal: her mother was convicted of her father's murder. The approach is particularly clever, introducing each character separately in the contemporary world and then sending them back in time to play out the past. THE HOLLOW, produced in 1951 and based on Christie's novel of the same name, was a significant success; TOWARDS ZERO, produced in 1956 and based on Christie's novel of the same name, was also reasonably popular. Both are distinctly Christie, but both tend to read as old fashioned in a way that is not nearly as entertaining as TEN LITTLE INDIANS.

As Ira Levin notes in his brief introduction to these seven titles, mystery plays are rare birds, and few authors produce more than a single successful play. With three major hits and many more minor ones, Christie broke the mold--and, of course, THE MOUSETRAP's success didn't so much break the mold as shatter it entirely. Strongly recommended for Christie fans, mystery fans, and play-readers everywhere.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

This book was REALLY good. You have to figure out how to read plays first, but after you get the hang of it, it's really good. The stories are awesome and even if you've already read the book that the play is based on it's really cool to see how the play ended differently. A lot of people have read And Then There Were None already, but Ten Little Indians (in this book) was really different and I think it was better.

This was a wonderful book, I belive Agatha Christie to be the best mystery play writer. Her stories are very well written and she intertwines the nursery rymes very well, and still i am surprised at all the endings.I perticuly enjoyed the Moustra,. I was interested that play for an audition for my school production of the Moustrap and was happy to have many other wonderful plays in the book. It was inexpensive and in very good condition. I recommend it for all.

As an actor-writer and fan of Agatha Christie for many years now, I have read and re-read this book so many times that I had to buy a new copy. Mousetrap is a classic, but others are as good, if not better. The changes in Appointment with Death make it preferable to the book (Lady Westholme and Higgs are hilarious), but the altered ending in Ten Little Indians is a MAJOR let-down. Read the book version instead. Wish it could have included every one of her plays, such as Spider's Web and Black Coffee. Still, an extremely entertaining collection from a brilliant woman.

The Queen of Crime Agatha Christie (1890-1976) the Devon Dame of Crime was a master of the murder mystery novel but was also adept at turning her books into playable and accessible plays. Christie's works have always been popular with London audiences and playgoers and movie fans throughout the world. In this cheap Signet edition you can have the work of Dame Agatha at a very reasonable cost. The plays are fun to read and display all the cleverness and genius of their playwright! Though Poirot and Miss Marple are absent as characters they are so good you will hardly miss their formidable presence!
Among the plays in this collection (there are 8 plays) the standouts are:
The Moustetrap: The longest running play in drama history is still seen each week at a small London theatre. it concerns a snowstorm at a small hotel. Molly and Giles are the young married couple who invite guests into their establishment. One of them is a murderer. Who is it? An intriguing play that will keep you guessing who done it!

Witness for the Prosecution. I enjoyed this play more than any other in the Signet collection. Did Leonard Voles murder Elizabeth French the old lady he was visiting on a regular basis despite the fact he was married to a German immigrant? The excellent movie starred Charles Laughton, Marlene Dietrich and Tyrone Power. A classic courtroom drama focused on judicial proceedings at the Old Bailey!

Ten Little Indians-There are more dead bodies than you can count in a Shakespearean foray into mayhem! A grisly play.

While the other plays in the collection are not as well known they are all worth reading. Enjoy this festschrift of Christie drama!

True Agatha Christie, this book is full of plot twists and surprises, interesting characters and fun. It was a nice addition to my collection

If you love mystery books, anything by Agatha Christie is a must read. She is known and for good reason, as the "Queen of Mystery". Although mainly known as an novelist, she was also known as a amateur archeologist(she was married to an archeologist and often travelled with him)and playwright.

The stories are written in a play format, hence there are many bracketed directions for the actors and may be distracting. However, the stories are pure Agatha Christie-- murder, intrigue, suspense and of course, a touch anti-climax thrown in.