Kieran Brown’s mysterious play days in Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap head to Grand Opera House amid snow alert

Kieran Brown in the role of the mysterious Mr Paravicini in The Mousetrap. Picture: Matt Crockett

SNOW could be on its way to York this week and definitely will be in Agatha Christie’s murder mystery The Mousetrap, the longest running play in the world.

The British and Irish tour to mark the whodunnit’s 70th anniversary opened last September at Nottingham Theatre Royal, where its world premiere took place in 1952 before transferring to London for its unbroken run ever since, playing 28,500 performances and selling ten million tickets at the St Martin’s Theatre.

Next stop for Christie’s beloved tale of intrigue and suspense will be the Grand Opera House, York, from tonight to Saturday.

So, what’s the story? As news spreads of a murder in London, seven strangers find themselves snowed in at Monkswell Manor, a stately countryside guesthouse. When a police sergeant arrives, the guests discover – to their horror – that a killer is in their midst. One by one, the suspicious characters reveal their sordid pasts, but which one is the murderer? Who will be the next victim?

Heading to York will be a cast of Nicholas Maude (replacing the unavailable Todd Carty) as Major Metcalf; Gwyneth Strong as Mrs Boyle; Joelle Dyson as Mollie Ralston; Laurence Pears as Giles Ralston; Elliot Clay as Christopher Wren; Essie Barrow as Miss Casewell; Joseph Reed as Detective Sgt Trotter and Kieran Brown as Mr Paravicini.

Unlike Clay and Barrow, who have both performed in Christie’s drama in London, Kieran is a Mousetrap novice. “To my eternal shame, I had never seen it, had no idea of what it was about, and I didn’t read it until the first day or rehearsals, so I went into it with a completely fresh set of eyes,” says the Scottish actor, from Falkirk. “When it’s a show that’s been around for a while, I don’t think it’s healthy to see it before you do it, because you don’t want to copy someone.”

His role of Mr Paravicini, the most mysterious of all in the murder mystery, is described in the character crib notes as “the unexpected guest who arrives at Monkswell Manor due to the severity of the storm”.

Is he from Europe or is he putting it in on? “Well, he does make a point of overly pronouncing his name so that the detective sergeant can spell it correctly!” says Kieran.

“The way I’ve approached it is that I was undecided if it was all just an act. Is he really foreign or faking it? The director gives you a little freedom as to how you play your character, without having to tell anyone what you’ve decided. So, I’m going for more a Mediterranean flavour to his accent rather than Italian.”

The cast for the 70th anniversary tour of Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap. Picture: Matt Crockett

Mr Paravicini’s character card – and he is a card! – says this of him: Occupation: Unknown. Manner: Roguish, game-player. Notes: Moves like a much younger man.

“He plays the markets. Read into that what you will,” says Kieran. “He says his car has overturned in a snowdrift, so he’s had to stagger through the snow to find a safe haven. There  are lots of signs of him being a conman or robber, who’s gone there to case the joint, on the chance of making money out of it.”

Assessing the undying appeal of The Mousetrap after all these years, Kieran says: “The audiences love the twists and turns, and when they have the rug pulled from under their feet, you can hear the gasp of surprise.

“It also feels like you’re all part of a secret club, you are all partners in crime – cast and audience – and you respect being asked to keep the ‘reveal’ a secret. So many people have been a party to that and don’t want to break it.”

As for Agatha Christie, “I think she’s such a wonderful writer. Some of the characters she has written here are so ahead of their day,” says Kieran.

“There are signs and pointers, a representation of characters that weren’t being represented in theatre at the time, and not in a negative way. She was brave enough to present characters who would identify as lesbian or gay, which was alien to her day. Maybe she’s kind of the last person you would think of as being sympathetic, but she was.”

The Mousetrap has stood the test of time. “There were attempts to modernise it, like replacing the radio with a television, but that just didn’t work. There’s no point trying to keep things up to date. It doesn’t need it. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” says Kieran.

Next week’s run will not be the first time that he has played the Grand Opera House. “I performed there with The Barricade Boys two years ago,” says Kieran, who sang alongside Scott Garnham, the musical theatre actor and singer from Malton, whose paths first crossed at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (now the Royal Scottish Conservatoire). “But I was only in York for a day, so it will be lovely to spend a proper week there.”

His contract in The Mousetrap runs until May 6, concluding with three weeks back in his homeland in Perth, Edinburgh and Glasgow. The perfect ending.

The Mousetrap runs at Grand Opera House, York, from March 6 to 11, 7.30pm nightly plus 2.30pm Wednesday and Saturday matinees. Box office: atgtickets.com/york .

Who are you? Meet Mr Paravicini…

Jane McDonald to be joined by La Voix and The Barricade Boys on Saturday at Yorkshire’s Platinum Jubilee Concert

Jane McDonald: Leading the Yorkshire celebrations of HM The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee at Scarborough Open Air Theatre

NATIONAL treasure Jane McDonald will be joined by The Barricade Boys and drag artiste La Voix at Yorkshire’s Platinum Jubilee Concert at Scarborough Open Air Theatre on Saturday.

Wakefield singer and television star McDonald will be flying the flag for her beloved White Rose county when leading the Yorkshire coast celebration of Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in a sea of red, white and blue.

“Everyone knows I’m a proud Yorkshire lass, so it will be so thrilling to walk on to stage in Scarborough for these celebrations,” says Jane.

Malton singer and musical actor Scott Garnham, second from left, with fellow members of The Barricade Boys

Malton-born West End musical actor ad impresario Scott Garnham will be joined by three fellow past cast members of Les Misérables, Craig Mather, Kieran Brown and Simon Schofield, in The Barricade Boys line-up.

Formed in 2015, the quartet’s latest tour, Bring Him Home, features music from the West End and Broadway stage, including The Phantom Of The Opera, Miss Saigon, Jersey Boys and Les Misérablescomplemented by songs by Queen, Elton John and The Beatles.

La Voix, the comedian and singer with the larger-than-life personality, is the redhead drag creation of Chris Dennis, who followed up reaching the Britain’s Got Talent semi-finals with an appearance in Ab Fab The Movie.

La Voix: Flagging up her appearance at Yorkshire’s Platinum Jubilee Concert

La Voix is completing the fifth year of an international one-woman theatre tour that visited the Grand Opera House, York, last October and has hosted a show on BBC Three Counties Radio for more than two years.

Headliner Jane McDonald, TV host of Cruising With Jane McDonald, Jane & Friends, Holidaying With Jane McDonald and Jane McDonald Explores Yorkshire and Loose Women regular, is promising a night of pomp and pageantry. “What an occasion this is going to be,” she says.

“It’s going to be amazing. A really rousing night, full of song. It will be a real sing-along event, so bring your voices. I expect it’ll be emotional too, but above all else we’ll have a good old party. It’s a celebration of The Queen’s life, but also all our lives and life in general after the past couple of years. A celebration of life as we know it!”

Tickets for this 6pm event are on sale at scarboroughopenairtheatre.com.

The poster for Saturday’s concert at Scarborough Open Air Theatre

Milton Rooms to reopen with four May events as Scott Garnham becomes patron

Scott Garnham, the new Milton Rooms patron, pictured when playing the lead in Nativity in the West End, alongside the show’s “secret Santa”, Queen guitarist Brian May, no less

THE Milton Rooms is counting down the days until it can reopen its Malton doors with four events lined up to kick-start the May reawakening.

First up, Yorkshire singer and guitarist Martin Gough returns with his One Man Rock Show on May 21; next, the Dickens Society presents Dickens And The Language Of Flowers, a fascinating talk looking at the meaning of flowers and how the Victorians loved sending secret messages in a well-chosen bouquet, on May 23. 

Ryedale Blues Club resumes blues service with District Blues, a mix of Americana and rockabilly, on May 27, and 2018 Britain’s Got Talent star Mandy Muden brings her magic, cabaret and stand-up comedy to Malton on May 29.

The Market Place arts and community venue has a new patron, the award-winning Ryedale actor, singer and theatrical producer Scott Garnham, a local lad who first appeared at the Milton Rooms in 1995 in a Ryedale Youth Theatre production of The Boyfriend, aged ten.

As well as many annual Ryedale Youth Theatre productions, Scott appeared in multiple pantomimes at the Milton Rooms. He started in Little Red Riding Hood, then played Baby Bear in Goldilocks and the Three Bears. In his teens, he was either the comedy double act or village idiot in Dick Whittington, Aladdin, Goody Two Shoes and Jack And The Beanstalk and shined as Buttons in Cinderella.

After graduating from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, in Glasgow, he has carved out a career in the West End, notching up credits in Billy Elliot The Musical, Les Miserables and Made In Dagenham, as well as in Matt Lucas’s Pompidou for the BBC. He has created the international vocal group The Barricade Boys too, playing the Grand Opera House in York in March 2018.

“I will forever owe a huge debt to the Milton Rooms and the people who work so tirelessly to ensure this wonderful community building is still a key part of Malton and the surrounding area,” says Scott. 

‘’It was my first experience of ‘theatre’, being lucky enough to perform with a diverse group of ages, cultures and life experiences. I enjoyed dancing with friends at their many discos and found gifts attending art and craft fairs. 

‘’I feel lucky to have grown up where a community building, such as the Milton Rooms, played such a vital and important role in mine and many other people’s lives. Long may it continue.’’

The Milton Rooms’ Covid-safe accreditation has been extended for 2021 by UK tourism body Visit Britain. Under the Government’s roadmap out of Coronavirus lockdown, indoor entertainment venues are expected to be allowed to reopen after May 17 with Covid-secure restrictions in place.

Venue manager Lisa Rich says: “We’re delighted to have someone like Scott on board and we’re really excited at the prospect of being able to open again in a limited way in May and hopefully fully reopening if all restrictions are removed in June.’’

Tickets for all four events can be booked at: themiltonrooms.com/events/