“The killer is enjoying this” and so is the audience.
This month, the Bradley Theatre Department put on the longest-running play of all time and original whodunnit, “The Mousetrap” by Agatha Christie from April 12-16.
“The Mousetrap” features a remote guest house just outside of London. After a murder has recently been committed, a group of renters find themselves snowed in the house. Upon the arrival of a police sergeant, they learn the killer is in their midst and have to discover who it is before it’s too late.
The audience had two acts to figure out who the murderer was, laugh with the eccentric characters and hope for a good ending.
“The play was even better than I expected,” sophomore criminology major Kaitlyn Popp said. “I couldn’t wait to see what happened next, the actors did a great job keeping the audience in suspense and having us question who the murderer was.”
Not only did students produce the play, but they also designed the set and costumes that were presented onstage.
“I’m really proud of certainly the students onstage and those backstage in the booth, but also of the designers, Carl Zukowski and Faith Gager,” director Daniel Matisa said. “At Bradley Theater, we’re able to give that experience to the students, both on the performance side and the design and production side.”
The cast brought a diversity of acting that drew laughs and gasps from the audience. They bonded through the intensive three months it took to prepare for opening night, working on creating a stage-worthy production for a live audience.
“One of the best parts was trying to craft a character that was lovable even though he was deeply flawed. It was an absolute blast,” sophomore theater arts and television arts major Stefano Wills, who played Giles Ralston, said.
From a director’s perspective, Matisa enjoyed sitting back and allowing the actors to make the show their own.
“My favorite thing is watching and listening to the actors discover all of their moments,” Matisa said. “All the discoveries the actors make, when the light bulb turns on, that’s what it’s all about for me.”
The performance’s energy came through in the smiles on the cast members’ faces as they took their final bow at Sunday’s last show to a standing ovation from the audience.
“The bow at the end was euphoric,” Wills said. “Being a part of this show meant so much to me.”
The theater department’s next show will be “Songs For Spring,” a musical review of songs from hit shows and films by 12 Bradley performers, running April 27-30.
