1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,000 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:07,920 Speaker 1: Heart Radio, Hello and welcome to This Day in History Class, 3 00:00:07,960 --> 00:00:11,680 Speaker 1: a show that raises the curtain on everyday history and 4 00:00:11,800 --> 00:00:15,880 Speaker 1: lets it take a bow. I'm Gabe Louzier and today 5 00:00:16,200 --> 00:00:19,160 Speaker 1: we're looking at how a humble who Done It made 6 00:00:19,239 --> 00:00:28,639 Speaker 1: theatrical history by becoming the world's longest running play. The 7 00:00:28,760 --> 00:00:35,240 Speaker 1: day was November nifty two. The mouse Trap, a murder 8 00:00:35,360 --> 00:00:39,639 Speaker 1: mystery play by Agatha Christie, made its London debut at 9 00:00:39,640 --> 00:00:43,920 Speaker 1: the Ambassador's Theater. The show was such a crowd pleaser 10 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:47,200 Speaker 1: that it stuck around for the next six years, making 11 00:00:47,200 --> 00:00:50,400 Speaker 1: it the longest running show in the history of British theater. 12 00:00:51,080 --> 00:00:54,800 Speaker 1: But The mouse Trap success didn't stop there, and neither 13 00:00:54,920 --> 00:00:59,600 Speaker 1: did its ongoing performances. In the nineteen seventies, it became 14 00:00:59,680 --> 00:01:03,400 Speaker 1: the longest running play in the world, and some five 15 00:01:03,480 --> 00:01:08,840 Speaker 1: decades later, that record still stands. The play began as 16 00:01:08,880 --> 00:01:12,360 Speaker 1: a radio drama loosely based on the real life murder 17 00:01:12,400 --> 00:01:18,319 Speaker 1: of a teenage boy named Dennis O'Neill. In O'Neill was 18 00:01:18,440 --> 00:01:21,560 Speaker 1: killed by his foster father, who had been starving and 19 00:01:21,600 --> 00:01:26,080 Speaker 1: abusing the boy for months at their isolated Farmhouse and Shropshire. 20 00:01:26,959 --> 00:01:31,120 Speaker 1: Two years later, Agatha Christie recalled the sad story when 21 00:01:31,120 --> 00:01:34,520 Speaker 1: she was asked to contribute to an evening of BBC 22 00:01:34,880 --> 00:01:41,399 Speaker 1: radio programs celebrating Queen Mary's eightieth birthday. Christie's contribution was 23 00:01:41,440 --> 00:01:46,440 Speaker 1: a thirty minute radio drama called Three Blind Mice. Christie 24 00:01:46,560 --> 00:01:50,760 Speaker 1: later reworked the material, expanding it first into a short 25 00:01:50,840 --> 00:01:55,280 Speaker 1: story and then into a full length stage play. Along 26 00:01:55,320 --> 00:01:58,000 Speaker 1: the way, the title was changed to The mouse Trap 27 00:01:58,160 --> 00:02:01,280 Speaker 1: to avoid confusion with a different play called Three Blind 28 00:02:01,360 --> 00:02:04,800 Speaker 1: Mice that had already been produced in London's West End. 29 00:02:05,600 --> 00:02:08,840 Speaker 1: The new title was suggested by Christie's son in law, 30 00:02:09,200 --> 00:02:11,880 Speaker 1: and is itself a reference to the play within a 31 00:02:11,919 --> 00:02:17,000 Speaker 1: play that appears in William Shakespeare's Hamlet. When Hamlet's traitorous 32 00:02:17,080 --> 00:02:20,320 Speaker 1: uncle turned king asks his nephew the name of the 33 00:02:20,400 --> 00:02:24,120 Speaker 1: play they're watching, Hamlet says, it's called the mouse Trap. 34 00:02:24,919 --> 00:02:28,880 Speaker 1: That's not actually the right title, but Hamlet believes the 35 00:02:28,960 --> 00:02:32,200 Speaker 1: plays the thing that will catch the guilty conscience of 36 00:02:32,200 --> 00:02:35,480 Speaker 1: the king, so in a way it is a mouse trap. 37 00:02:36,320 --> 00:02:39,800 Speaker 1: As for the story of Agatha Christie's mouse Trap, it 38 00:02:39,919 --> 00:02:43,560 Speaker 1: takes place in the Great Hall of Monkswell manner, a 39 00:02:43,639 --> 00:02:48,480 Speaker 1: recently converted guesthouse run by a young couple. In short order, 40 00:02:48,680 --> 00:02:51,880 Speaker 1: the hosts and their guests are trapped in the house 41 00:02:51,960 --> 00:02:56,080 Speaker 1: by a snowstorm, and they quickly learned through radio reports 42 00:02:56,120 --> 00:02:59,200 Speaker 1: that a murderer is on the loose in the area. 43 00:02:59,480 --> 00:03:03,480 Speaker 1: Soon at after, a detective arrives on skis and tells 44 00:03:03,520 --> 00:03:06,760 Speaker 1: the group that, based on the timeline and geography of 45 00:03:06,800 --> 00:03:11,080 Speaker 1: the crime, the murderer and likely their next victim, are 46 00:03:11,120 --> 00:03:15,480 Speaker 1: probably members of the Monkswell party. From there, a stream 47 00:03:15,520 --> 00:03:20,400 Speaker 1: of clues reveals and m directs so distrust and panic 48 00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:24,960 Speaker 1: among the now potential suspects. The tension rises, along with 49 00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:28,160 Speaker 1: the snow and the body count, until the play finally 50 00:03:28,240 --> 00:03:32,320 Speaker 1: reaches its famous twist ending, which don't worry, I won't 51 00:03:32,320 --> 00:03:36,760 Speaker 1: spoil it here. The request for discretion is actually one 52 00:03:36,800 --> 00:03:40,640 Speaker 1: of the play's long standing traditions. During the curtain call 53 00:03:40,760 --> 00:03:44,080 Speaker 1: of each performance, the person who has just been revealed 54 00:03:44,080 --> 00:03:48,240 Speaker 1: as the murderer steps forward and tells the audience quote, 55 00:03:48,680 --> 00:03:51,839 Speaker 1: now that you have seen the mouse trap, you are 56 00:03:51,920 --> 00:03:55,320 Speaker 1: our partners in crime, and we ask you to preserve 57 00:03:55,360 --> 00:03:58,360 Speaker 1: the tradition by keeping the secret of who done it. 58 00:03:58,680 --> 00:04:03,360 Speaker 1: Locked in Your Hearts. Agatha Christie also did her part 59 00:04:03,520 --> 00:04:07,080 Speaker 1: to help preserve the surprise. She asked that the short 60 00:04:07,160 --> 00:04:10,600 Speaker 1: story version not be published while the play was still 61 00:04:10,720 --> 00:04:13,760 Speaker 1: running in the West End of London. As a result, 62 00:04:14,120 --> 00:04:17,159 Speaker 1: the short story has still never been published within the 63 00:04:17,240 --> 00:04:20,599 Speaker 1: United Kingdom, though it did appear in the United States 64 00:04:20,760 --> 00:04:25,280 Speaker 1: in the nineteen fifty collection Three Blind Mice and Other Stories. 65 00:04:26,240 --> 00:04:30,679 Speaker 1: Unlike many other popular stage plays, the mouse Trap doesn't 66 00:04:30,720 --> 00:04:35,200 Speaker 1: rely on the star power of its cast to fill seats. Instead, 67 00:04:35,320 --> 00:04:38,360 Speaker 1: the main appeal comes from the author and from the 68 00:04:38,360 --> 00:04:43,320 Speaker 1: play's own notoriety. To date, more than four hundred performers 69 00:04:43,360 --> 00:04:46,280 Speaker 1: have taken on the roles of the plays eight characters. 70 00:04:47,000 --> 00:04:50,680 Speaker 1: There have been a few standouts, like Richard Attenborough and 71 00:04:50,760 --> 00:04:53,880 Speaker 1: his real life wife Sheila sim who both starred in 72 00:04:53,920 --> 00:04:58,039 Speaker 1: the show during its premier run. There's also David Raven, 73 00:04:58,279 --> 00:05:00,920 Speaker 1: who set a record by playing the role of Major 74 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:06,040 Speaker 1: Metcalf for a staggering four thousand, five hundred and seventy 75 00:05:06,080 --> 00:05:11,000 Speaker 1: five performances, winning him the Guinness World Record for World's 76 00:05:11,040 --> 00:05:16,520 Speaker 1: most durable Actor. Another record holder is Nancy Seabrook, the 77 00:05:16,560 --> 00:05:21,039 Speaker 1: world's most patient understudy, who almost played the role of 78 00:05:21,200 --> 00:05:25,839 Speaker 1: Mrs Boyle for fifteen years. The other claim to fame 79 00:05:25,960 --> 00:05:29,960 Speaker 1: concerning the show's cast belongs to the late Derek Geiler. 80 00:05:30,839 --> 00:05:34,560 Speaker 1: His voice was heard on opening night reading the radio 81 00:05:34,680 --> 00:05:37,880 Speaker 1: news bulletin in the play, and all these years later, 82 00:05:38,200 --> 00:05:42,160 Speaker 1: a recording of his voice still fills that role, making 83 00:05:42,240 --> 00:05:46,599 Speaker 1: him the only original cast member still involved with the production. 84 00:05:47,560 --> 00:05:52,719 Speaker 1: Despite the show's incredible longevity, it's actually not considered Christie's 85 00:05:52,760 --> 00:05:56,920 Speaker 1: best work, or even her best play. On opening night, 86 00:05:57,160 --> 00:06:01,240 Speaker 1: one critic called it quote the cleverest murder mystery ever 87 00:06:01,320 --> 00:06:05,400 Speaker 1: written for the British theater, but that view has soured 88 00:06:05,400 --> 00:06:09,440 Speaker 1: over the years, with one well known stage director later 89 00:06:09,480 --> 00:06:13,400 Speaker 1: declaring that quote the mouse Trap should be abolished by 90 00:06:13,440 --> 00:06:17,520 Speaker 1: an Act of Parliament. One common criticism is that the 91 00:06:17,600 --> 00:06:22,480 Speaker 1: play strains believability by piling too many plausible killers into 92 00:06:22,600 --> 00:06:26,640 Speaker 1: one small group. Another is that there just isn't enough 93 00:06:26,680 --> 00:06:29,719 Speaker 1: action to keep things interesting for the full run time. 94 00:06:30,480 --> 00:06:33,480 Speaker 1: So how or why did The mouse Trap go on 95 00:06:33,520 --> 00:06:38,800 Speaker 1: to become the longest continuously running play in history. Well, 96 00:06:39,040 --> 00:06:43,080 Speaker 1: Agatha Christie had her own thoughts on the show's enduring popularity. 97 00:06:43,279 --> 00:06:46,680 Speaker 1: She explained, quote, it is the sort of play you 98 00:06:46,720 --> 00:06:50,680 Speaker 1: can take anyone to. It is not really frightening, it 99 00:06:50,760 --> 00:06:53,960 Speaker 1: is not really horrible, It is not really a farce. 100 00:06:54,320 --> 00:06:56,800 Speaker 1: But it has a little bit of all these things 101 00:06:57,080 --> 00:07:01,200 Speaker 1: and perhaps that satisfies a lot of different people. A 102 00:07:01,279 --> 00:07:05,080 Speaker 1: lot of different people is putting it lightly. Well over 103 00:07:05,240 --> 00:07:08,600 Speaker 1: ten million people have attended one of the plays nearly 104 00:07:08,720 --> 00:07:14,480 Speaker 1: thirty thousand performances. The first nine thousand or so performances 105 00:07:14,640 --> 00:07:18,840 Speaker 1: were at the Ambassador's Theater, then in nineteen seventy four 106 00:07:19,120 --> 00:07:22,239 Speaker 1: the show moved to its current home at West Ends 107 00:07:22,320 --> 00:07:26,480 Speaker 1: St Martin's Theater. The show went on its first ever 108 00:07:26,680 --> 00:07:30,760 Speaker 1: hiatus in March of when it was forced to close 109 00:07:30,840 --> 00:07:35,240 Speaker 1: due to the COVID nineteen pandemic. Thankfully, the production has 110 00:07:35,280 --> 00:07:40,480 Speaker 1: resumed performances at St Martin's beginning on May seventeen one. 111 00:07:41,200 --> 00:07:43,760 Speaker 1: Tickets are currently on sale. If you'd like to see 112 00:07:43,760 --> 00:07:47,040 Speaker 1: the show for yourself, it might not be the best 113 00:07:47,120 --> 00:07:50,280 Speaker 1: live theater you ever see, but at this point it's 114 00:07:50,320 --> 00:07:53,920 Speaker 1: a London institution and a rite of passage for visitors 115 00:07:53,960 --> 00:07:57,280 Speaker 1: and locals alike. Just make sure that once you're in 116 00:07:57,360 --> 00:08:01,960 Speaker 1: on the secret, you keep it to yourself. I'm Gabe 117 00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:05,360 Speaker 1: Lousier and hopefully you now know a little more about 118 00:08:05,480 --> 00:08:10,000 Speaker 1: history today than you did yesterday. If you enjoyed today's show, 119 00:08:10,280 --> 00:08:14,040 Speaker 1: consider following us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at t 120 00:08:14,200 --> 00:08:17,560 Speaker 1: d I HC. Show. You can also leave us a 121 00:08:17,560 --> 00:08:21,040 Speaker 1: review on Apple Podcasts or drop us a line at 122 00:08:21,080 --> 00:08:24,960 Speaker 1: this Day at I heart media dot com. Thanks to 123 00:08:25,040 --> 00:08:28,320 Speaker 1: Chandler Mays for producing the show, and thank you for listening. 124 00:08:28,680 --> 00:08:31,640 Speaker 1: I'll see you back here again tomorrow for another Day 125 00:08:31,680 --> 00:08:43,920 Speaker 1: in History class. For more podcasts from I heart Radio, 126 00:08:44,080 --> 00:08:46,640 Speaker 1: visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 127 00:08:46,720 --> 00:08:47,880 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.