Stage Write

  A remote country manor, a murderer on the loose, and a blizzard; put them together and you’ve got a classic Agatha Christie story. Beef & Boards opens its 2026 season with The Mousetrap and it is a delight. As the snowstorm worsens, the tension builds and the guests can’t help but question everyone’s alibi. Eddie Curry directs and the story clips along throwing red herrings in every scene. It’s perfectly paced, which should be no surprise as the world’s longest-running play has kept audiences entertained since premiering in 1952 in London. Audience members are famously asked to keep the big reveal a secret so every person who sees the shows gets to experience the twist themselves. The casting is wonderfully done. Newcomer Malia Munley nails the role of Mollie Ralston, the timid guest house owner who finds her inner steel as the danger draws closer. Crowd favorite Jonathan Cobrda was electric as Christopher Wren, a troubled young man who vacillates between whimsical and di...