Podcast Summer Special: 3 blind mice, a 2-course meal and 1 trip to the theatre

Hello again, pod fans! The Whodunnit Dinners podcast summer special has just landed on the airways, and it’s something a little bit different. Traditionally, an episode of the podcast has Katie or Helen sharing a murder mystery and the other person presenting a meal or dish, which relates to the story in some way. In this podcast for a change, we consumed a meal together before devouring an iconic Agatha Christie murder mystery play in London’s West End theatreland. What a treat. 

What is The Mousetrap? 

The Mousetrap is a classic murder mystery play by Agatha Christie, set in a snowbound country house, where the guests and owners become embroiled in a murder investigation. The play begins with a radio announcement (the same voice recording ever since the play started!) about a recent murder, setting the stage for the unfolding drama at Monkswell Manor, a guesthouse run by Mollie and Giles Ralston.  It’s currently running at St Martins Theatre in the West End of London. 

The play premiered in London on 25th November 1952 and has since been officially crowned the longest-running play in the world, drawing in audiences day after day with its intricate plot and suspenseful atmosphere. David Attenborough’s brother Richard and his wife Sheila Sim played the leading roles as Detective Sergeant Trotter and Mollie Ralston in the original production, fact fans!

The Mousetrap began as a radio play, called Three Blind Mice, and was written at the request of the BBC for Queen Mary, which shows just how popular the writer had become over the previous couple of decades. Christie then expanded Three Blind Mice from a twenty-minute radio play into a full length stage play, adding some extra characters and a fuller background and plot. The title was changed and The Mousetrap was created, although the nursery rhyme remained as an integral element of the plot. 

Would we recommend the Mousetrap? 

There’s a reason it is the longest-running play in the world: it really delivers solid entertainment, and is a wonderful introduction to a typical Agatha Christie murder mystery. A group of people, all with possible motive to commit a murder are gathered together, the crime occurs, an investigation takes place and the killer is finally revealed by a detective in a tense denouement. It also features other classic elements of popular thrillers: the story is set in a country house, it takes place in the depths of winter, and one of the creepy key clues is a children’s nursery rhyme. The stage and theatre itself is so small and cosy that the audience feels really immersed in the house and story themselves. At the end, you are instructed by the cast not to reveal whodunnit to anyone when you leave, so you’re fully complicit in the story’s success. 

Another reason for its popularity in our opinion is that although at points the storyline has the odd gruesome detail, it really is a show you can go to with the whole family; we think children of around nine upwards could access and enjoy it. There are quite a few light comedic moments too. Being set in the winter it would make a lovely Christmas family trip up to London. 

We’re very pleased we made the effort to finally go and see this iconic murder mystery play and would thoroughly recommend it to fans of the genre. 

If you can’t make it up to London, but live in the UK, there is a touring production starting in Birmingham in September this year,, so check it out if you can. 

So that’s the Whodunnit; what about the Dinner? 

As the Mousetrap is playing in St Martins Lane,  we found a classic traditional restaurant nearby to have our lunch. Browns is a small chain of good quality restaurants that specialise in seasonal British dining in historic buildings and this particular Browns Restaurant & Bar occupies the former Westminster County Court building on St Martin’s Lane. The property was converted into bar and restaurant use after the County Court closed in the early 1990s. The building would have been the scene of many a murder case in the days that Agatha Christie was at the height of her popularity, so we thought it was a highly appropriate choice. 

In picking our pre-theatre meal, we were in a difficult position of not knowing the details of the play, which meant that relating our food to the story as normal was going to be rather tricky. So instead we decided to relate our food choices to previous podcast episodes in Seasons 1 and 2. 

Moules Mariniere

For her main course at Browns, Katie chose moules and frites. Episode #2 in Season 1 of our podcast was based around the Georges Simenon book, ‘Felicie’. The novella is set in a village in the outskirts of Paris and features the famous Inspector Maigret investigating the mysterious death of an elderly man. To complement Helen’s choice of murder mystery book in that episode, Katie had introduced a traditional northern French dish called Moules Mariniere, or mussels steamed in a white wine sauce, served with chips. 

Vegetable Risotto

For her main course, Helen had vegetable risotto. In Season 1,  Episode #6, Helen introduced Katie to an author who had previously not been on our radar at all. Swiss American writer Donna Leon turns out to be one of the Times’ 50 greatest crime writers, with admirers including acclaimed novelist Ursula Le Guin. The novel we discussed was called ‘So shall you reap’, a Commissario Brunetti mystery set in modern Venice. Katie chose a classic risotto recipe to complement the brief Helen gave her: a modern Italian home-cooked lunch such as might be served to Brunetti. It is a dish often associated with Venetian culture. 

Apple Crumble 

For her dessert, Katie had apple crumble. In Season 2 episode #1 we discussed the latest film in the Knives Out franchise: Wake Up Dead Man. Rian Johnson is the acclaimed writer and director of the series, and Daniel Craig reprises his role as master detective Benoit Blanc, who comes in to investigate the death of a divisive Catholic priest in rural New York against the backdrop of a missing inheritance. The all-star cast includes Josh O’Connor as the main character and chief suspect, alongside an imperious Glenn Close and Josh Brolin as the (seemingly) murdered priest, who goes on to ‘rise from the dead’, hence the title. 

The dish apple crumble does not actually feature in the film, so you might be slightly mystified as to why it was on the menu. However, as a significant symbol of the plot there is a massive pink diamond, known as ‘Eve’s Apple’, echoing the film themes of sin and temptation. For her apple-based dish, Katie served up apple crumble. In turns out she has very clear views on how the crumble should be made. Fortunately, the Brown’s recipe met her exacting standards. 

And finally...

For her dessert, Helen chose Belgian chocolate mousse. This doesn’t feature in any of the podcasts but was her way of paying tribute to the iconic Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot. 

Listen to the podcast

We hope you enjoyed our little trip out to The Mousetrap; perhaps you will catch it yourself in London, or during the UK tour this autumn and spring. If you haven’t yet listened to our summer special podcast, tune in here!