Thursday, September 8, 2016

review - THE MOUSETRAP - Grand Canyon University

The Cast
Photo by Darryl Webb / Grand Canyon University
highlights from local critics reviews - (click link at bottom of each review to read complete review)

Click here for more information on this production that runs through September 11th.

"That Agatha Christie chestnut The Mousetrap has been running in London for more than 60 years and over 25,000 performances. ....This classic whodunit is receiving a superb production at Grand Canyon University that provides plenty of chills and thrills within the melodrama. The plot is one we are now fairly familiar with, but Christie was one of the first to invent the rules and the requirements. A small group of strangers find themselves cut off from the outside world with a killer on the loose. ...They all have secrets, which are hidden and revealed sparingly throughout the play. The fun of Christie's plot is in not just determining who the killer is but also who the next victim will be....Director Michael Kary keeps his cast firmly in the period of the piece with excellent dialogue work and stunning costumes and hair and make-up designs (by Nola Yergen and Madison Kesterson, respectively) that perfectly evoke the time and locale. William H. Symington's set design is one of the best of his I've seen. ...Claude Pensis' lighting portrays various times of day effortlessly with dark, blue nighttime effects full of shadows and detail that add to the suspense. While the show is an ensemble piece, and everyone in the GCU production does good work, the parts of Mollie Ralston and Sergeant Trotter hold the show together and keep it moving along. Christine Ward does exceptional work as Mollie...Logan Barrett is perfectly authoritative as Trotter...The combination of his layered yet determined performance with Kary´s succinct direction, which features the entire cast´s nuanced portrayals and adroit facial expressions, makes many of the confrontational lines that Barrett's character states, such as "One might think you're all guilty from the looks on your faces," pop and resonate....All eight GCU cast members are attentive and focused in their portrayals. The Mousetrap may be over sixty years old, but Christie's attention to character and plot detail and her deliberately paced reveals make it a fun time. The GCU production's confident performances full of conviction, poised direction, and rich creative elements will allow you to simply sit back and enjoy the brilliance of Christie's carefully constructed thriller. " -Gil Benbrook, Talkin' Broadway (click here to read the complete review)

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