In addition, Branagh announced that Hildur Guđnadóttir, the acclaimed composer from Iceland who won an Oscar, Golden Globe®, GRAMMY®, and BAFTA for “Joker” and an Emmy® and GRAMMY for “Chernobyl,” and who most recently scored “TÁR” and “Women Talking,” will compose the score.

“A Haunting in Venice” is set in eerie, post-World War II Venice on All Hallows’ Eve and is a terrifying mystery featuring the return of the celebrated sleuth, Hercule Poirot. Now retired and living in self-imposed exile in the world’s most glamorous city, Poirot reluctantly attends a séance at a decaying, haunted palazzo. When one of the guests is murdered, the detective is thrust into a sinister world of shadows and secrets.

Reuniting many of the filmmakers behind 2017’s “Murder on the Orient Express” and 2022’s “Death on the Nile,” the film is directed by Kenneth Branagh with a screenplay by Oscar® nominee Michael Green (“Logan”) based upon Agatha Christie’s novel Hallowe’en Party. The producers are Kenneth Branagh, Judy Hofflund, Ridley Scott, and Simon Kinberg, with Louise Killin, James Prichard, and Mark Gordon serving as executive producers.

A brilliant acting ensemble portrays a cast of unforgettable characters, including Kenneth Branagh, Kyle Allen (“Rosaline”), Camille Cottin (“Call My Agent”), Jamie Dornan (“Belfast”), Tina Fey (“30 Rock”), Jude Hill (“Belfast”), Ali Khan (“6 Underground”), Emma Laird (“Mayor of Kingstown”), Kelly Reilly (“Yellowstone”), Riccardo Scamarcio (“Caravaggio’s Shadow”), and recent Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”).
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Originally written by Agatha Christie as a present to Queen Mary, it was first broadcast on the wireless in 1947. At that time it was called Three Blind Mice. It eventually had its London Westend debut in 1952

The play is filled with your standard stage characters, the nasty upper-crust lady, the ditsy blonde, the arty type and the gumshoe to name a few. It’s to the written word’s worth that those well-known prototypes can still be fun to spend the night with.

I’m sure if you try hard enough you can find the final reveal disclosed in someone’s thoughtless writing but where’s the fun in that? It’s much better to go to the theatre armed with only your Sunday best on, a cocktail in hand and no knowledge about the end result. This allows you to join a seventy-year accumulation of co-conspirators.

The Mousetrap is currently playing at The Playhouse at QPAC until 20 November 2022 – head to www.qpac.com.au for more information and to book tickets.
Rob Hudson

The ensemble cast consists of international theatre star Anna O’Byrne (My Fair Lady, Love Never Dies) as Mollie Ralston, Helpmann Award winner Alex Rathgeber (Anything Goes, The Phantom of the Opera) as Giles Ralston, Laurence Boxhall (As You Like It, Jumpy) as Christopher Wren, Geraldine Turner (Present Laughter, Don’s Party) as Mrs Boyle, Adam Murphy (Shakespeare in Love, Aladdin) as Major Metcalf, in her professional stage debut Charlotte Friels as Miss Casewell, Gerry Connolly (Cyrano de Bergerac, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui) as Mr Paravicini, and Tom Conroy (Jasper Jones, My Brilliant Career) as Detective Sergeant Trotter. Jack Bannister (Romeo and Juliet, Lysa and The Freeborn Dames), Elisa Colla (My Fair Lady, Wicked) and Chris Parker (Daylight Savings, The Club) complete the cast as standbys.

The Mousetrap will be directed by Australian theatre icon Robyn Nevin, with costume design and associate set design by Isabel Hudson, and lighting design by Trudy Dalgleish. The Mousetrap is produced by John Frost for Crossroads Live Australia.

“I’m thrilled with the overwhelmingly positive response to the news that The Mousetrap will be playing in Australia to celebrate its 70th anniversary,” said John Frost. “Robyn Nevin has assembled a stellar cast for this new production of an enduring and much-loved murder mystery. Will you solve the mystery and pick the murderer?”

The Mousetrap had its world premiere on 6 October 1952 at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham. After a brief tour, it opened in London’s West End on 25 November 1952 at the Ambassadors Theatre, where it ran until 23 March 1974. It immediately transferred to the larger St Martin’s Theatre next door, where it continues to this day.

The longest-running West End show, it has by far the longest run of any play anywhere in the world, with over 28,500 performances so far. The play has a twist ending, which the audience are traditionally asked not to reveal after leaving the theatre.

Agatha Christie originally wrote the story as a short radio play entitled Three Blind Mice, which was broadcast in 1947 as a birthday present for Queen Mary. She eventually adapted the work into a short story before again rewriting it for the stage as The Mousetrap. Ironically, Christie did not expect the play to run for more than a few months and stipulated that no film of The Mousetrap be made until at least six months after the West End Production closed. 70 years on, as the show continues its historic London run, a film adaptation looks unlikely at this stage.

“A masterpiece… Of all the stage versions of Christie’s books, The Mousetrap is by far the best.” – The Chicago Tribune

“The cleverest murder mystery of the British Theatre. I think The Mousetrap could run forever” – Daily Telegraph UK

“Even more thrilling than the plot is the atmosphere of shouldering suspense. No one brews it better than Agatha Christie” – Daily Express

After a local woman is murdered, the guests and staff at Monkswell Manor find themselves stranded during a snowstorm. It soon becomes clear that the killer is among them, and the seven strangers grow increasingly suspicious of one another. A police detective, arriving on skis, interrogates the suspects: the newlyweds running the house; a spinster with a curious background; an architect who seems better equipped to be a chef; a retired Army major; a strange little man who claims his car has overturned in a drift; and a jurist who makes life miserable for everyone. When a second murder takes place, tensions and fears escalate. This record-breaking murder mystery features a brilliant surprise finish from the foremost mystery writer of all time.

For 70 years, Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap has kept millions of people from every corner of the globe on the edge of their seats. It is the genre-defining murder mystery from the best-selling novelist of all time … case closed! Can you solve this world-famous mystery for yourself?

Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap
4-20 November 2022
Playhouse, QPAC, Brisbane
www.themousetrap.com.au

Based on the 1937 novel by Agatha Christie, “Death on the Nile” is a daring mystery-thriller about the emotional chaos and deadly consequences triggered by obsessive love. Kenneth Branagh, back as the iconic detective Hercule Poirot, is joined by Tom Bateman, four-time Oscar® nominee Annette Bening, Russell Brand, Ali Fazal, Dawn French, Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer, Rose Leslie, Emma Mackey, Sophie Okonedo, Jennifer Saunders and Letitia Wright. “Death on the Nile,” which reunites the filmmaking team behind 2017’s global hit “Murder on the Orient Express,” is written by Michael Green, adapted from Christie’s novel, and is produced by Ridley Scott, Kenneth Branagh, p.g.a., Judy Hofflund, p.g.a. and Kevin J. Walsh, with Mark Gordon, Simon Kinberg, Matthew Jenkins, James Prichard and Mathew Prichard serving as executive producers.

Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot’s Egyptian vacation aboard a glamorous river steamer turns into a terrifying search for a murderer when a picture-perfect couple’s idyllic honeymoon is tragically cut short. Set against an epic landscape of sweeping desert vistas and the majestic Giza pyramids, this dramatic tale of love gone wrong features a cosmopolitan group of impeccably dressed travellers and enough wicked twists and turns to leave audiences guessing until the final, shocking denouement.

Filmed with 65mm Panavision cameras in late 2019, “Death on the Nile” transports audiences to the 1930s, recreating many of the locations that served as inspiration for Christie’s glamorous, high society thriller.

With audiences returning to cinemas, Disney has committed to an exclusive theatrical release for “Death on the Nile.” 20th Century Studios production president Steve Asbell says, “Ken’s sweeping, elegant vision for this classic story deserves to be seen on the biggest screen possible. We’re so proud of this film, our brilliant cast, and the stellar work that went into bringing ‘Death on the Nile’ to screen. We know that audiences can’t wait to experience Hercule Poirot’s next adventure, and we’re thrilled to continue working with Ken as he lends his masterful storytelling vision to the newest film in this celebrated franchise.”

James Prichard, chairman and CEO of Agatha Christie Ltd., says, “More than 100 years after the publication of Agatha Christie’s first novel, her crime fiction works remain immensely popular and continue to be discovered anew by people around the world. I’m thrilled that Disney and our partners believe in this franchise, which has helped introduce millions of new fans to Christie’s classic works. We’re honored to be in business with Disney, Ken, and all who are dedicated to preserving the long legacy of these titles for future generations.”

Death on the Nile will be released in Australian Cinemas February 10, 2022!
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Ring leader Kenneth Branagh shows incredible stamina with his latest project. He not only directs but stars in it as the world’s greatest deceive Hercule Poirot. But it doesn’t end there, he then appears in almost every scene in the entire film. Few thespians have put in more effort on a single project.

Agatha Christie’s stories have appeared on the big and little screen with regularity over the years but few have looked as sumptuous or been informed with so much Hollywood star power. The set design is also a star and features a fantastic Art Deco look that does an admirable job of setting the appropriate level of luxury.

It’s hard to do much new with a mystery that anyone knows the details about already (at least for fans of Agatha Christie) but it’s still a fun journey.

Rob Hudson
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From the novel by best-selling author Agatha Christie, “Murder on the Orient Express” tells the tale of thirteen strangers stranded on a train, where everyone’s a suspect. One man must race against time to solve the puzzle before the murderer strikes again.

Kenneth Branagh directs and leads an all-star cast including Penélope Cruz, Willem Dafoe, Judi Dench, Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Daisy Ridley and Josh Gad.

In Cinemas November 9, 2017
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From the novel by best-selling author Agatha Christie, “Murder on the Orient Express” tells the tale of thirteen strangers stranded on a train, where everyone’s a suspect.

One man must race against time to solve the puzzle before the murderer strikes again. Kenneth Branagh directs and leads an all-star cast including Penélope Cruz, Willem Dafoe, Judi Dench, Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Daisy Ridley and Josh Gad. Releasing November 9, 2017.