We’re all amateur sleuths, which is why it’s still so popular
TODD CARTY IS PLAYING MAJOR METCALF IN THE 70TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR OF THE MOUSETRAP
What attracted you to The Mousetrap?
I saw it about 40 years ago, when I was a much younger man, and when I got the call I didn’t hesitate. I remembered it being such a great play and I’ve always been an Agatha Christie fan, having first gotten hooked on her storytelling after seeing the Margaret Rutherford/ Miss Marple films on TV.
How would you describe Major Metcalf and his role in the story?
He’s a retired Army major and one of the guests in a guesthouse in the countryside. All of the characters have a secret and a mysterious background that audiences can’t
quite put their finger on. The audience becomes the detective trying to work out who’s up to no good, along with the real detective on stage. Major Metcalf appears to be a typical ex-Army guy. He enjoys the odd drop of brandy in the evening
and maybe the odd drop of Scotch at lunch. On the face of it he seems to want to help people but every now and then the characters in the play disappear and we don’t know what they’re up to, Major Metcalf included.
The show is celebrating its 70th anniversary. How do you account for its longevity?
I honestly don’t know. That’s the $64,000 question, isn’t it? We’re opening at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham, where it premiered back in 1952 before a short tour and then moving to the West End where it continues to play. I think basically we all like a whodunnit because we’re all amateur detectives. In the audience there are kids of 13 right up to grandmas and granddads, all going ‘He did it’ or ‘No, it was her or him’. It’s great fun trying to figure out who the killer is.
Does it surprise you, especially in this era of social media, that audiences don’t spill any secrets about who the murderer is?
It does, yes. With all the social media nowadays it’s very hard to keep a secret, but for some reason people honor the request not to reveal any secrets once they’ve seen the show.
You came to fame in Grange Hill. What are your memories of that time?
I’d been acting since I was four but Grange Hill changed my whole life. One day I was happily going to school, the next day I was Tucker Jenkins. The day before it first aired in 1978 nobody on the tube knew who I was, then the next day it was ‘bang’. Anonymity was a thing of the past.
What have been your favourite jobs over the years?
I loved doing EastEnders and The Bill. I did five years on and off playing Patsy in Spamalot and that was brilliant. I’d sing Always Look on the Bright Side of Life every night and there’d be seven and eight year olds singing along, mum and dad singing it, granny and granddad, and they all knew the words.
What do you most enjoy about stage work?
It sounds obvious and clichéd but it’s the audience. When you’re doing a panto and all the kids are getting involved and shouting back, going ‘Oh yes he did’ and ‘Oh no he didn’t’, it’s a great feeling.
Plays are different but the audience is listening to every word, and with The Mousetrap they’re thinking ‘Ooh, I thought it was so and so’. I love live theatre and it’s especially pleasing now, after the pandemic when people who work in theatre had a really tough time. It’s great being around other actors and crew members again. There was a time when we took it for granted but now it feels like we’re all ten feet tall. It’s a lovely feeling. I can’t tell you how much it warms our hearts to be back in front of an audience.
Why do you think Agatha Christie is the most successful novelist of all time?
We love trying to work out who did the deed. The Mousetrap is probably her most famous story and it’s a prime example of her skill at creating interesting characters and intriguing plots.
What are you most looking forward to about taking the show around the country?
Just the different reactions from different audiences. They always vary depending on where you are in the country and every night is different, with different reactions to different parts of the show. The show is hugely popular in the West End and this tour is marking the70th anniversary, making it even more special. There’s a real appetite now for seeing good shows and supporting theatre.
Are there any stops on the tour that are dear to your heart?
For me being an Irish boy, with an Irish mother, Dublin and Cork are very special stops on the tour. I’m very proud of my Irish background, having had an Irish passport for over 40 years. Before the jet set holidays in the late 60s and early 70s I used to go and visit my cousins in Ashbourne in County Meath mainly, then the next year during the summer holidays they would come over to England. I’ll be seeing them again when I’m over there and hopefully I’ll be having a few drops of the Black Stuff.
I did five years on and off playing Patsy in Spamalot and that was brilliant. I’d sing Always Look on the Bright Side of Life every night
Todd Carty, pictured as Patsy
■ The Mousetrap is at the Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham, from October 31 to November 5.