London's The Mousetrap to Reopen With Social Distancing Measures in Place

Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap, the longest-running show in the world, has announced its plan to reopen on the West End on Friday, October 23, with appropriate social distance measures in place.

The thriller will return to the St. Martin's Theatre in accordance with the British government's stipulations for the return of live performance. The Mousetrap will be presented with no touching and social distancing onstage, and the theater will take additional precautions backstage and in the auditorium, where every other row will be removed to accommodate audiences of 200.

"I recognize that for the vast majority of West End productions, operating with social distancing is simply not possible," producer Adam Spiegel said. "I produce other shows which will also be unable to reopen under these restrictions. We are very fortunate with The Mousetrap that, with the help of our stakeholders, we are able to adapt our economic model to be able to reopen. Whilst this cannot be a long-term exercise, we believe it is a crucial first step in restoring live theatre to the London landscape."

Eleanor McLoughlin, Lizzie Muncey, Neil Ditt, Paul Hilliar, Tony Timberlake, Alexander Wolfe, Damien Matthews, and Brenda Longman will make up the cast. Ian Talbot will direct.

The Mousetrap opened in 1952 and has been performed in London 28,200 times. The whodunit finds a group of seven strangers snowed in at a countryside hotel after a murder has taken place. When a police sergeant arrives, the guests discover that the killer is in their midst.