Murder, mystery and suspense come to Kellogg Community College’s Binda Theatre this month as the college’s Theatre Program presents Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap,” Oct. 18-21.
The play – about a group of strangers trapped with a murderer in an English manor during a blizzard – is the longest continuously running play in history. It was first performed in London’s West End in 1952 and is widely known for its twist ending.
Brad Poer, a professor at KCC and director of the play, said the show keeps the audience guessing till the end.
“The really great thing about the writing for the show is that everybody is suspicious in some way,” Poer said. “The audience is going to suspect each individual person at some point in time, and by the time we get toward the end of it nobody’s going to be sure.”
Poer said the show is family friendly, although it does have its share of “surprise, jump in your seat kind of moments” that make it great to watch in the days leading up to Halloween.
The cast of eight includes six KCC students and two community members, with five of the actors returning to the Binda Theatre stage after performing in the college’s spring musical “Lucky Stiff” last semester.
Poer said he works as a director and as a teacher to develop a sense of family among the cast, a sense that’s taken hold during rehearsals for “The Mousetrap.”
“The cast gets along really, really well together,” Poer said, “but puts across the vibe onstage of being polar opposites and being very suspicious of each other.”
“The Mousetrap” will play at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 18, through Saturday, Oct. 20, and at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 21. Tickets are $5 for students and senior citizens and $10 for members of the general public. They will be available at the door or can be reserved by calling 269-965-4154.
For more information about the Theatre Program at Kellogg Community College, visit www.kellogg.edu/performart/theatre/index.html.
Above is the official trailer for the production, produced by Brad Poer.