‘Mouse Trap’ still works

June 6, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

By Milan Paurich

NEW CASTLE

Breezy and J.E. Ballantyne don’t normally go together. Yet the Ballantyne- directed production of Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap” that opened Friday night to an standing-room-only house at the New Castle Playhouse’s Annex Theater is an unexpectedly sprightly diversion.

Ballantyne has made a name for himself in local community-theater circles for helming lengthy, dead-serious dramas (“Block 5,” “All My Sons,” “The Miracle Worker,” “The Heiress”). Christie’s quaint, charmingly creaky murder mystery is nothing of the sort. Even with some minor pacing problems in the second act, Ballantyne and his crackerjack cast expertly serve up the theatrical equivalent of comfort food. It might not be a gourmet feast, but the NCP “Mousetrap” is as soul-satisfying as a home-cooked plate of meatloaf and mashed potatoes.

Never having seen a production of Christie’s fabled chestnut before, I wondered if “Mousetrap’s” astonishing success in Britain’s West End where it’s been running continuously since premiering in 1952 was strictly an “English thing,” and, like kidney pie, would its appeal evaporate when transferred to American shores. Adding to my skepticism was the fact that “Mousetrap” (and similarly old-fashioned murder mysteries) have been endlessly parodied by everyone from Tom Stoppard (“The Real Inspector Hound”), Neil Simon (“Murder by Death”) and even Parker Brothers (the board game “Clue”).

Happily, my concerns were unfounded. “Mousetrap” still works — beautifully — after all these years because it’s so sturdily constructed. Though Christie’s dialogue remains laughably expository at times and her archetypal characters seem less like flesh-and-blood human beings than cardboard cutouts, the clockwork precision of the plotting with its carefully dispensed twists and reversals is a model of storytelling craft.

Set during a 24-hour period at Monkswell Manor, a modest boarding house run by newlyweds Mollie (Caty Sacui) and Giles (Y.S.U. student Ryan Newell) Ralston, the play does a splendid job of establishing the claustrophobia that inevitably builds after a blizzard leaves everyone stranded. The fact that one of the guests (no spoilers here) soon turns up dead only compounds a growing sense of paranoia, fear and mistrust. Because of the dire weather conditions, Detective Sgt. Trotter (Jeff Carey) is forced to arrive on skis to launch his murder investigation.

Who could the killer be? Eccentric architecture student Christopher Wren (Sam Lupak, Jr.)? Retired army general Major Metcalf (Thomas L. Ewen)? Androgynous mystery woman Miss Casewell (Michelle Hanna)? Suspicious foreigner Mr. Paravicini (Bill Shorr)? Or maybe even Mollie or Giles, both of whom have been acting mighty peculiar lately?

The fun of watching the crafty Trotter coax, prod and (occasionally) browbeat this motley group of suspects remains as undeniable — and irresistible — as when “The Mousetrap” first opened nearly 60 years ago. So what if you’re two (or maybe three) beats ahead of the action? Ballantyne’s snazzily dressed and designed (by Sylvia Ewen and George A. Orr respectively) production makes for ideal light summer entertainment.

Contributing mightily to the show’s success is its uniformly solid cast. NCP ace in the hole Carey so completely dominates Act 2 with his delightful, thoroughly engaging performance that he deserves star billing. Also very good are such reliable heavy-hitters as Sacui, Lupak (a total hoot as the possibly deranged Wren) and a nicely restrained Ewen. Linda Anschuetz (the Edith Evans-like Mrs. Boyle), Shorr and Newell all make impressive New Castle debuts. And Hanna is so good you’d never believe she’d been away from the stage for 19 years.

“The Mousetrap” runs through June 20 at the New Castle Playhouse Annex Theater. For reservations, call 724-654-3437.