The Candlelight Dinner Playhouse in Johnstown, CO has opened its doors for three summer productions – Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap; I Do, I Do; and specifically for kids, The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley.
Before reviewing their production of The Mousetrap, I’ll just say that the Candlelight has fulfilled all guidelines for keeping its patrons safe during this time of Covid-19.
Every other table on the floor has been removed, so there’s more than six feet between all the tables that remain. (The theatre-style seats in their balcony, which are for people who want to see a production there without having a meal, are not in use this summer.)
Guests are required to wear masks at all times when they are not seated at their tables, and there is no “mixing” of guests. In the women’s bathroom, every other stall has been sealed. (Probably in the men’s as well, though this I did not verify!) This is not as much of a catastrophe as it might be, since there’s only half the audience that is normally at this theatre.
Servers are masked and wear gloves. Credit cards are sanitized before being returned to their owners. There are no salt and pepper shakers on the table – the server brings little packets of them – so as you can see everything is being done to minimize changes of exposure to Covid-19.
So, on to The Mousetrap!
England, 1952. A cold and very snowy winter’s day – and Monkswell Manor Guesthouse, in the country some thirty miles from London, has just opened for business.
Its proprietors are Giles and Mollie Ralston. Mollie, who inherited the large home from a distant relative and Giles are newly and happily married, determined to make a go of their new venture.
One by one their guests arrive – the exuberant Christopher Wren, the stentorian Mrs Boyle, the stolid Major Metcalf, the brusque Miss Casewell, and finally the playful Mr. Paravacini. Not a guest – his car had gotten stuck in the snow nearby as he was driving somewhere else, and he had struggled through the snow to the only visible lights.
The news that a woman has just been murdered in Culver Street in London is all that is on the airwaves and in the newspapers. (During the 1950s, newspapers had a morning and evening edition, and mail was delivered twice a day!)
Mr. Paravacini, in his playful way, calls himself the unexpected guest and claims that his arrival completes the complement – no one else will arrive that night. But he’s wrong – Mollie gets a call from the local police station – a detective sergeant is on his way there on an urgent mission…it seems that the Culver Street murder left a notebook behind, and in that notebook were two addresses…one was Culver Street. The other, Monkswell Manor.
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The cast of The Mousetrap. From L to R: Samantha Jo Staggs as Mrs. Boyle, David Wygant as Giles Ralston, Heather McClain as Miss Casewell, Elliot Clough as Major Metcalf, Sara Kowalski as Mollie Ralston, Cole Emarine as Christopher Wren, Kent Sugg as Mr. Paravacini and Scott Hurst Jr. as Detective Sergeant Trotter (Photo credit RDG Photography)
The Mousetrap is the first ever play produced at the Candlelight Dinner Playhouse (as opposed to musicals), and the cast are all Candlelight regulars – proving that musical theatre folks can act just as well as regular actors – but they can sing and dance, too!
The Mousetrap is Agatha Christie’s most famous play, having made its debut on London’s West End stage in 1952 (and the action remains set in that time period.) It is still running to this day (although with a 3-month hiatus for Covid, of course). It’s a straightforward little mystery, and the Candlelight stages it well (apart from the dearth of snow flakes on hats and coats as characters enter and exit the house, it must be said!)
Samantha Jo Staggs is a presence as the unpleasant Mrs. Boyle – most displeased to find that the Ralstons are newbies at the art of running a guest house. Elliot Clough’s Major Metcalf has the proper calm military bearing…but is he really as calm as he seems?
Cole Emarine is a delight as the hyper-active Christopher Wren. For all his excitability and vulnerability, we can still believe he might be capable of murder, and the same goes for Heather McClain’s assertive Miss Casewell. Kent Sugg is a lot of fun as the mysterious Mr. Paravacini, too.
David Wygant’s Giles has good chemistry with Sara Kowalski’s Mollie Ralston…until suspicion and doubt begins to rear their ugly heads thanks to the dogged questioning of the long-suffering Detective Sergeant Trotter – well-played by Scott Hurst.
So go back in time for a classic British whodunit….and see if you can’t guess the murderer before the exciting denouement!
The food
Entrees were choices between barbecue chicken (delicious), tilapia, or a salad. The chicken or tilapia came with seasoned rice (delicious) seasoned green beans (probably delicious if you like green beans) and potato salad (ditto). I was able to substitute another serving of rice for those sides. Yum.
Dessert was a variety of ice creams, or almond-coconut cheese cake, or chocolate cake.
The wait staff were quick, efficient and pleasant.
