Cappies Review: 'The Mousetrap' At Justice High School

By Hayden Polsky of Quince Orchard High School

There's a reason that Agatha Christie's play "The Mousetrap" is the longest-running play in the world. Filled with suspense, drama, and more twists and turns than a windy road in rural England, it keeps the audience on the edges of their seats, begging the performers for more.

Certainly, this play is a daunting risk for any theatre company, let alone a high school program. Nevertheless, Justice High School took this risk head-on in their recent production of the thrilling murder mystery and put on a spectacular production of the complex play.

Set in 1950s Britain, Christie's story followed Mollie and Giles Ralston (the exceptional Sara Kaufman and Elijah Kassa, respectively), the owners of a small guest house in the middle of nowhere. They first discussed the recent news of a murder in their area — but how could that be connected to them? On the cold, blizzard night, five guests arrived — a young Christopher Wren (played by the charming Aimen Leja), a strict Mrs. Boyle (the chilling yet humorous Charlotte Aguilera), Major Metcalf (the forceful Diego Salazar Jara), a sarcastic Miss Casewell (the brilliant Sofia Hemmens), and the surprise latecomer Mr. Paravicini (the hysterical Valeria Peterson).

Things started out normal enough, but when one of the seven was brutally murdered, it became clear that something strange was afoot, and Detective Sergeant Trotter (the superb Daniel Azcarate) arrived to investigate these strange events, and the possible connections they had to the group. The cast of this production was simply fantastic. Kaufman, as the shaken Mollie, performed the role with ease and a sense of authenticity that most professional actors struggle to find.

Peterson stole every scene as the dashing Italian stranger and had the audience in tears of laughter multiple times. Hemmens, as Miss Casewell, perfectly captured the peculiarity of the role, forcing the audience to question everything they thought they knew about the plot.

Most importantly, the whole cast spent the entire play working as an ensemble, developing their characters in the context of their relationships with others onstage. Not one performer seemed anxious about taking on such a famous play. Furthermore, it was obvious that each actor made their performance their own, instead of attempting to copy one of the surely thousands of performers who have played these roles.

It was hard to pinpoint the strongest aspect of Justice's production, as nearly everything about it went above and beyond what is to be expected of a high school play. The audience was delivered professional quality performances from each actor, a perfectly charming set, and a behind-the-scenes crew (led by stage managers Elizabeth Cheek and Cate Pringle) that worked so efficiently the audience was completely oblivious to their existence. Each light and sound cue was clean, and Ketan Kane and Benny Ward's lighting design helped to convey the creepy atmosphere, especially during the murder sequences.

Altogether, this show was as charming as possible. The audience was thoroughly transported into the characters' world, and the production kept everyone guessing at the answer to the mystery so perfectly portrayed by the company. Each aspect of the show worked in harmony with the next, providing the audience with a genuine murder mystery experience that left them gasping when secrets were finally revealed.