MICHIGAN CITY — The Dunes Summer Theatre announced its’ next summer production entitled THE MOUSETRAP, a ‘whodunnit’ murder mystery, will open on August 10 and run through August 20, with performances every Thursday/Friday/Saturday at 7PM CST; and Sundays at 2PM CST, at 288 Shady Oak Dr., Michigan City, IN 46360.
Leigh Selting who heads the University of Wyoming’s Theatre Arts Program makes his Dunes Summer Theatre directorial debut with this production. Selting said, “As a director, The Mousetrap is fun and challenging because the staging, the timing of the scenes and characters have to be so precise.”
The Mousetrap takes place in England in the 1950s and centers around a group of strangers who are stranded in a boarding house during a fierce snowstorm. When someone is murdered, everyone becomes a suspect, including the couple who run the home, a curious spinster, an architect, a retired Army major, a strange little man, a jurist who makes everyone miserable, and a curious policeman who arrives on skis. The ever-diligent policeman probes the background of everyone present and rattles a lot of skeletons.
The Mousetrap is the longest running play in the world having initially opened in London’s West End in 1952. It recently surpassed more than 25,000 productions and is by far the longest initial run of any play in history. Christie herself did not expect The Mousetrap to achieve great success. In her autobiography, she reports a conversation that she had with a colleague who stated, “Fourteen months I am going to give it.” To which Christie replied, “It won't run that long. Eight months perhaps. Yes, I think eight months.”
Dunes Summer Theatre Artistic Director, Jeffrey Baumgartner, said “We’re excited to offer the region our version of this iconic play, and are happy that many actors who performed in our earlier summer production of I Hate Hamlet are returning to the stage, along with some newcomers. They’ve developed a great chemistry together that will certainly reflect onstage.”
Returning to the Dunes Summer Theatre are Kalika Rose (Chicago) as Mollie; Andy Ricci (Chicago) as Giles; Zoe Sjogerman (Chicago) as Ms. Casewell; and Peter Newman (Los Angeles) as Christopher Wren. New to the Dunes stage this summer are Aaron Michael Davis (Crown Point) as Trotter; Donna Rowland (Michigan City) as Mrs. Boyle; Jeff Gamlin (Chicago) as Metcalf; and Craig Eperdling (Laramie, Wyoming) as Paravicini.
Preview tickets for the first Thursday and Friday performances are available for $10; Senior and Student tickets are available $15; and General Admission tickets are available for $18. Tickets may be purchased online up to one hour before show time, and at the Box Office which opens on show dates at 6 PM CST Thursday – Saturday, and 1 PM CST on Sunday. For more information, please visit www.dunesartsfoundation.org/box-office.
