Press release

Agatha Christie’s UK TOUR

 FURTHER TOUR DATES ANNOUNCED FOR ’S THE MOUSETRAP 60TH ANNIVERSARY UK TOUR; NOW BOOKING INTO 2014

 CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR SEPTEMBER 2013 ONWARDS

 KARL HOWMAN WILL CONTINUE IN HIS ROLE AS MR PARAVICINI ALONGSIDE THE NEW TOURING CAST: JOANNA CROLL (MOLLIE RALSTON), ELLIE JACOB (MISS CASEWELL), ANNE KAVANAGH (MRS BOYLE), HENRY LUXEMBURG (GILES RALSTON), ROGER RINGROSE (MAJOR METCALF), RYAN SAUNDERS (CHRISTOPHER WREN) AND JONATHAN WOOLF (SERGEANT TROTTER).

For over 50 years, Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap has been the world’s longest running production. The first ever tour of the record-breaking production opened on 11 September 2012 in Canterbury and will continue through 2013 into 2014, with further dates now announced. For a full list of tour dates up to June 2014, please see the ‘Notes to Editors’ below.

The cast for the third leg of the tour includes returning company member Karl Howman (Brush Strokes) as Mr Paravicini alongside: Joanna Croll (Sirens, Doctors) as Mollie Ralston, Ellie Jacob (DCI Banks, Misfits) as Miss Casewell, Anne Kavanagh (Chichester Festival ’s Goodnight Mr Tom, August: Osage County at the National Theatre) as Mrs Boyle, Henry Luxemburg (Hollyoaks, Hotel Babylon) as Giles Ralston, Roger Ringrose (Waking The Dead, BBC1’s forthcoming The Musketeers) as Major Metcalf, Ryan Saunders (Sweet Bird of Youth at the Old Vic, The History Boys UK tour) as Christopher Wren and Jonathan Woolf (Travelling Light at the National Theatre) as Sgt Trotter.

Mousetrap Productions has licensed 60 productions of The Mousetrap world-wide to mark the 60th year. During this period the world’s longest running show will be seen in every continent, with professional productions scheduled for Australia, China, Korea, Turkey, South Africa, Russia, Czech Republic, Hungary, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Poland, Spain, Scandinavia, Venezuela, and across the United States and Canada.

The Mousetrap continues at St. Martin’s Theatre, .

For further information please contact The Corner Shop PR on 020 7494 3665 or email [email protected]

-ENDS-

NOTES TO EDITORS

http://mousetrapontour.com

TOUR DATES

Eastbourne Congress Theatre Cambridge Corn Exchange Guildford G-Live Sep 09-14 | 01323 412 000 Sep 16-21 | 01223 357 851 Sep 30-Oct 5 | 0844 7701 797 www.eastbournetheatres.co.uk www.cornex.co.uk/ccm/portal www.glive.co.uk

Oxford New Theatre Sunderland Empire Theatre Grimsby Auditorium Oct 7-12 | 01865 320 760 Oct 15-19 | 0844 871 3022 Oct 21-26 | 01472 311 300 www.atgtickets.com/venues/new- www.atgtickets.com/venues/sunderla www.atgtickets.com/venues/grimsby- theatre-oxford nd-empire auditorium

Rhyl Pavilion Theatre Coventry Belgrade Theatre Leicester de Montfort Hall Oct 28-Nov 2 | 01745 330000 Nov 4-9 | 024 7655 3055 Nov 11-16 | 0116 233 3111 www.rhylpavilion.co.uk www.belgrade.co.uk www.demontforthall.co.uk

Buxton Opera House Blackpool Grand Theatre Salisbury Nov 18-23 | 0845 127 2190 Nov 25-30 | 01253 290 190 27 Jan - 01 Feb | 01722 320 333 www.buxtonoperahouse.org.uk www.blackpoolgrand.co.uk www.salisburyplayhouse.com

Swindon Wyvern Theatre Reading Hexagon Watford Colosseum 03 Feb - 08 Feb | 01793 524 481 10 Feb - 15 Feb | 0118 960 6060 17 Feb - 22 Feb | 0845 075 3993 www.wyverntheatre.org.uk www.readingarts.com/thehexagon www.watfordcolosseum.co.uk

Chesterfield Pomegranate Hull New Theatre Billingham Forum Theatre 24 Feb - 01 Mar | 01246 345 222 03 Mar - 08 Mar | 01482 300 300 10 Mar - 15 Mar | 01642 55 266 www.watfordcolosseum.co.uk www.hullcc.gov.uk/hullnewtheatre www.forumtheatrebillingham.co.uk

Salford Lowry Theatre Poole Lighthouse Theatre Dunstable Grove Theatre 17 Mar - 22 Mar | 0843 208 6000 24 Mar - 29 Mar | 0844 406 8666 31 Mar - 05 Apr | 01582 60 20 80 www.thelowry.com www.lighthousepoole.co.uk/the- www.grovetheatre.co.uk mousetrap Cheltenham Everyman Theatre Lichfield Garrick Derby Theatre 07 Apr - 12 Apr | On Sale Soon 14 Apr - 19 Apr | 01543 412 121 21 Apr - 26 Apr | 01332 59 39 39 www.everymantheatre.org.uk www.lichfieldgarrick.com www.derbytheatre.co.uk/mousetrap

Crawley Hawth Theatre Barnstaple Queens Theatre Dartford Orchard Theatre 28 Apr - 03 May | 01293 553 636 05 May - 10 May | 01271 324 242 12 May - 17 May | 01322 220 000 www.parkwoodtheatres.co.uk/theha www.northdevontheatres.org.uk www.orchardtheatre.co.uk wth Hastings White Rock Theatre Hayes Beck Theatre Shrewsbury Severn Theatre 19 May - 24 May | 01424 462 288 26 May - 31 May | 020 8561 8371 02 Jun - 07 Jun | On Sale Soon www.whiterocktheatre.org.uk www.becktheatre.org.uk www.theatresevern.co.uk

Crewe Lyceum Theatre Harrogate Theatre 09 Jun - 14 Jun | 01270 368 242 16 Jun - 21 Jun | 01423 502 116 www.crewelyceum.co.uk www.harrogatetheatre.co.uk

and his fellow film-star and beloved wife, Sheila Sim took the leading roles when the production opened at The Ambassadors Theatre in 1952. It played there for 21 years and moved to the adjacent St Martin’s Theatre without missing a performance.

 The Mousetrap holds numerous Guinness World Records including ‘the longest continuous run of any show in the world’

 The Mousetrap has been thrilling audiences from around the world for as long as HRH Queen Elizabeth II has been on the throne.

 Since The Mousetrap opened, 419 actors and 243 understudies have appeared in the play.

 Sir Peter Saunders was the producer of all of Agatha Christie’s plays, including The Mousetrap, which he sold to Sir Stephen Waley-Cohen in 1994.

 On 25 November 2002, The Mousetrap celebrated its golden jubilee with a Birthday Gala performance attended by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh. Lord (Richard) Attenborough gave the famous curtain speech exactly 50 years since he first delivered it in London: “Now you have seen The Mousetrap you are our partners in crime, and we ask you to preserve the tradition by keeping the secret of whodunit locked in your hearts.”

 In November 2012 Agatha Christie’s grandson, Mathew Prichard, welcomed the audience to the Diamond Jubilee celebratory evening, which was also the 25,000th performance of The Mousetrap. All of the proceeds from the night were donated to Mousetrap Theatre Projects, the leading theatre education charity seed-funded by the play.

 Agatha Christie became a Dame of the British Empire in 1971; her books have sold billions of copies around the world – many more than any other author except Shakespeare and The Bible. She died on the 12th January 1976 aged 85.

 At one point she had three plays running at the same time in the West End, a feat never matched by any other woman. She was as successful as a playwright as she was as a novelist. Her most famous characters are Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple.

 She gave her grandson, Mathew Prichard, the royalties from The Mousetrap for his ninth birthday. In recent years he has donated them to the benefit of charities for the arts and other causes especially in Wales. Mathew Prichard CBE is Chairman of Agatha Christie Ltd.

 There have been productions of The Mousetrap in 50 languages, and there is rarely a night without a performance somewhere in the world, but there have never before been so many productions deliberately licensed in the same period.

 Mousetrap Theatre Projects is London's leading theatre education charity. It takes 12,000 disadvantaged young people to the best of London theatre each year, who would not otherwise have that opportunity. It is supported by virtually every theatre and producer in London, and by the Society of London Theatre, as well as numerous generous donors. For further information on Mousetrap Theatre Projects or this project, contact Susan Whiddington, Director, on 020 7836 4388.

The Mousetrap continues at St. Martin’s Theatre West Street London WC2H 9NZ Box Office 08444 99 1515 www.the-mousetrap.co.uk Performances Monday to Saturday at 7.30pm Matinee performances at 3.00pm on Tuesday and 4.00pm on Saturday