For the last 34 years the St Martin's has been the home of The Mousetrap, more than half of its record breaking run!
The Mousetrap has been thrilling audiences from around the world for as long as HRH Queen Elizabeth II has been on the throne. On the 25th of November 2002 a Royal Gala Performance was held, attended by Her Majesty The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh.
During this phenomenal run there have been no fewer than 382 actors and actresses appearing in the play, 116 miles of shirts have been ironed and over 415 tons of ice cream sold.
Some cast members are in the Guinness Book of Records, David Raven as the 'Most Durable Actor' for 4575 performances as Major Metcalf, and the late Nancy Seabrooke for a record breaking 15 years as an understudy.
The Mousetrap first entered the record books many years ago on 12th April 1958 when it became the longest running show of any kind in the history of British Theatre.
In 2000 the set was replaced for the first time during the run at St Martin's Theatre, still to the same design as the original. This task was completed over a weekend without the loss of a performance.
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II graciously attended the 50th Anniversary Royal Gala Performance on 25th November 2002, pictured here with Lord Attenborough, one of the show's original stars.
The 50th year of the Mousetrap started on November 25th 2001. There was a cast reunion at the Savoy to mark the historic event. There are many famous faces in the cast photograph below.
Lord Attenborough switched on our golden 50 in a blaze of publicity and then watched a very special performance. The audience were invited by The Mousetrap Foundation, a charity dedicated to encouraging young people who would not normally visit the theatre to see West End shows. And what an audience! The St Martin's had never seen the like as 500 teenagers filed noisily through the doors, management hearts were beating fast at the thought of controlling them. However, with all credit to the students, their teachers and of course Agatha Christie's ability to hold her audience, behaviour was impeccable as they sat on the edge of their seats, submersed in the new delights of theatre. It was so exciting to hear the laughter in all the right places and the eager discussions during the interval as to everyone's idea of whodunit!
The evening's show ended as historically as it had begun. 50 years after first walking on to the set of The Mousetrap, Lord Attenborough took to the stage for the curtain calls. He then said a few words, much to the delight of the audience who of course remembered him, not from The Mousetrap but the successful major Hollywood films he has made. (Oh the cries of "It's him from Jurassic Park!!!!!!)
Thank you Lord and Lady Attenborough, Thank you Mousetrap Foundation, Thank you audience and thank you to all those involved on and off stage for making history once more.