Entertainment

The Mousetrap

■ The 70th Anniversary Australian production of Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap will have a limited season at the Comedy Theatre, Melbourne from February 17.

The Mousetrap is directed by Australian theatre icon Robyn Nevin, with costume design and associate set design by Isabel Hudson, and lighting design by Trudy Dalgleish. The Mousetrap is produced by John Frost for Crossroads Live Australia.

The ensemble cast consists of international theatre star Anna O’Byrne (My Fair Lady, Love Never Dies) as Mollie Ralston, Helpmann Award winner Alex Rathgeber (Anything Goes, The Phantom of the Opera) as Giles Ralston, Laurence Boxhall (As You Like It, Jumpy) as Christopher Wren, Geraldine Turner (Present Laughter, Don's Party) as Mrs Boyle, Adam Murphy (Shakespeare in Love, Aladdin) as Major Metcalf, in her professional stage debut Charlotte Friels as Miss Casewell, Gerry Connolly (Cyrano de Bergerac, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui) as Mr Paravicini, and Tom Conroy (Jasper Jones, My Brilliant Career) as Detective Sergeant Trotter.

Jack Bannister (Romeo and Juliet, Lysa and The Freeborn Dames), Elisa Colla (My Fair Lady, Wicked) and Chris Parker (Daylight Savings, The Club) complete the cast as standbys.

The Mousetrap had its world premiere on October 6, 1952 at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham. After a brief tour, it opened in London’s West End on November 25, 1952 at the Ambassadors Theatre, where it ran until March 23, 1974. It immediately transferred to the larger St Martin's Theatre next door, where it continues to this day.

The longest-running West End show, it has by far the longest run of any play anywhere in the world, with more than 28,500 performances so far. The play has a twist ending, which the audience are traditionally asked not to reveal after leaving the theatre.

Agatha Christie originally wrote the story as a short radio play entitled Three Blind Mice, which was broadcast in 1947 as a birthday present for Queen Mary.

She eventually adapted the work into a short story before again rewriting it for the stage as The Mousetrap

Ironically, Christie did not expect the play to run for more than a few months and stipulated that no film of The Mousetrap be made until at least six months after the West End production closed.

Seventy years on, as the show continues its historic London run, a film adaptation looks unlikely at this stage.

Venue: Comedy Theatre, Melbourne

Season: From February 17, Performance

Times Wed-Thurs 7:00pm, Fri-Sat 7:30pm, Wed 1pm, Sat 2pm, Sun 1 and 6pm

Prices: From $69.00 (Transaction fees apply)

Bookings: ticketek.com.au or phone 13 28 49 Groups 8+ call 9299 9873 themousetrap.com.au

- Cheryl Threadgold

Mary Poppins

■ Mary Poppins, Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s new production has arrived at Her Majesty's Theatre and will be playing there until the end of April.

Seen by tens of millions of people worldwide, this stage adaptation of the stories by Aus-

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The all-Australian cast is led by Stefanie Jones as Mary Poppins and Jack Chambers as Bert.

Marina Prior is returning to Cherry Tree Lane in the dual roles of Bird Woman and Miss Andrew for Melbourne, and will be joined by Tom Wren as George Banks, Lucy Maunder (Winifred Banks), Hannah Waterman (Mrs Brill), Gareth Isaac (Robertson Ay), Robert Grubb (Chairman and Admiral Boom), Chelsea Plumley (Miss Andrew), Cherine Peck (Mrs Corry), Lisa Sontag (Miss Lark), Kade Hughes (Neleus), Stephen Anderson (Park Keeper) and Andrew Broadbent (Policeman).

The company is completed by Hayden Baum, Cara Bessey, Katrina Bickerton, Molly Bugeja, Emily Casey, Ed Deganos, Joshua Gordon, Kimberley Hodgson, Gareth Jacobs, Hollie James, Sebastian Johnston, Genevieve Kingsford, Zoe Komazec, Sasha Lian-Diniz, Noah Missell, Ellie Nunan, Max Patterson, Jamie Reisin, Taylor Scanlan, Jacob Steen, Patrick Whitbread and Paul Whiteley, with eight performers to share the roles of Jane and Michael Banks in Melbourne.

Tickets are available via Ticketek premier.ticketek.com.au

MaryPoppinsMusical.com.au

- Cheryl Threadgold

MILF & Mistress

■ Ali Henderson (Jennifer Vuletic) is a high school English teacher living the suburban dream with her partner, two kids, multiple pets and a growing longing for something more.

She is also one-half of the only rainbow couple in the street and the school and the tediousness of all that entails.

A life spent in middle-class suburbia has meant endless invasive questioning on how LBTQI couples actually “do” things.

Reflecting on these questions, Ali comes to realise that she and her partner, both middleaged women, have settled into a rather dull existence, particularly in the bedroom, and Ali wants more.

Where some women are content with a “pamper package” or regular visits to the hairdresser, Ali embarks on an adventure into BDSM, researching swinger groups, and fetish clubs, before finally settling on visits to a dominatrix.

Niggling doubts and imposter syndrome threaten to scupper Ali’s adventure in its infancy.

Luckily Ali overcomes her fear of the unknown and embraces her new-found sexual awakening.

Directed by first-timer Di Toulson, this fantastic new play by acclaimed playwright, Jane Montgomery Griffiths, is an impactful comment on invisibility and reclaiming agency.

David Nelson’s visual design is most effective in creating a filmic illusion of the dungeon scenes where Vuletic’s nudity never feels exploitative.

Millie Lavakis-Lucas’s sound design overlays these scenes with evocative recordings that play to the senses.

Presented as a monologue, Vuletic is terrific as Ali.

Engaging, insightful, and imbued with both comedy and pathos, this beautifully written play has it all.

Let’s hope that we see more from this firstrate creative team.

- Review by Kathryn Keeble