The longest running play in theatre history, Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap gets the top-notch DTW treatment featuring a cast of Coachella Valley’s finest. Those unfamiliar with this classic whodunit will enjoy the chills and laughs as the harried detective tries to solve the mystery before another of the eccentric lodgers winds up a corpse on the floor of Monkswell Manor. Already seen the play? Don’t tell the ending, enjoy DTW’s spin on it and have a shivery good time all over again!
The show will feature a nightly oath the audience will take to not reveal the ending, adding to Desert Theatreworks reputation for putting a unique approach to traditional material.
Director/Artistic Director Lance Phillips-Martinez says “This is one show you do not want to miss. There is a reason THE MOUSETRAP has been playing for over 60 years…it is really great! The play is funny, chilling, and well crafted. It makes for an incredibly fun night out and is a great way to start our main season. There are moments of chilling electricity in this play. Our performers have worked diligently to each deliver a complete performance lacking nothing. I am very proud to direct such a talent cast of local artists. The Coachella Valley has such a large talent pool, I encourage everyone to come out and support the fine work our local artists are presenting.”
The Show features all talented LOCAL performers: Ashley Hernandez (MOLLIE), Shawn Abramowitz (GILES), Alden West (MRS. BOYLE), Hal O’Connell (METCALF), Briana Taylor (CASEWELL), Stephen McMillen (TROTTER), Luke Rainey (WREN), and Don Cilluffo (PARAVICINI).
“The set is more than a traditional interior set,” says set designer Ron Phillips-Martinez, “Look for the theme of confinement. The guest of the Manor are trapped in a snow storm, I wanted to play with that theme. The interior section of the set is framed by a labyrinth pattern and that labyrinth progresses throughout the play. I believe the audience is in for a fun, exciting show.”
Little known facts about THE MOUSETRAP:
• Richard Attenborough and his fellow film-star and beloved wife, Sheila Sim took the leading roles when the production opened at The Ambassadors Theatre in 1952. It played there for 21 years and moved to the adjacent St Martin’s Theatre in 1973 without missing a performance. The Mousetrap holds numerous Guinness World Records including ‘the longest continuous run of any show in the world’
• The Mousetrap has been thrilling audiences from around the world for as long as HRH Queen Elizabeth II has been on the throne.
• Since The Mousetrap opened, 411 actors and 239 understudies have appeared in the play.
• Sir Peter Saunders was the producer of all of Agatha Christie’s plays, including The Mousetrap, which he sold to Sir Stephen Waley-Cohen in 1994.
• There have been productions of The Mousetrap in 50 languages, and there is rarely a night without a performance somewhere in the world, but there have never before been so many productions deliberately licensed in the same period.
8 Performances
Performance times : Friday / Saturday 7pm, Saturday 2pm
Venue: The Arthur Newman Theatre, 73-750 Catalina Way, Palm Desert CA, 92260
Ticket prices:
General admission $25
Senior/Student $23
Special group rates of 8 or more – call box office 760-980-1455
Tickets can be purchased online www.dtworks.org, in person at the Joslyn Center: 73-750 Catalina Way, Palm Desert CA, 92260, and by phone 760-980-1455.
The Season Continues with…
MARRIED ALIVE – a new musical December 6-15, 2013
Married Alive! is a new musical that celebrates the ups and downs of marriage. The show focuses on two couples, a pair of wide-eyed newlyweds, and a more experienced pair of “oldyweds.” From wedding day to empty nest and everything in between, Married Alive is a zany new musical that affectionately applauds and pokes fun at marriage. Ever wonder why it’s called an institution?
Performance times : Friday / Saturday 7pm, Saturday/Sunday 2pm
Venue: The Arthur Newman Theatre, 73-750 Catalina Way, Palm Desert CA, 92260
Ticket prices:
General admission $25
Senior/Student $23
Groups of 8 or more call box office 760-980-1455
Tickets can be purchased online www.dtworks.org, in person at the Joslyn Center: 73-750 Catalina Way, Palm Desert CA, 92260, and by phone 760-980-1455.
