FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SOUTH EAST ASIA WELCOMES THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY DIAMOND JUBILEE YEAR PRODUCTION OF THE MOUSETRAP By AGATHA CHRISTIE The cleverest murder mystery of the British theatre The Daily Telegraph Singapore, 1st August, 2013 The British Theatre Playhouse is bringing Agatha Christie s The Mousetrap to South East Asia for the first time this September / October as the play celebrates its 60th anniversary. On the 10th October, 2013 a Charity Gala Performance and Dinner will be held at Raffles Hotel Singapore. The British Theatre Playhouse stages these West End productions each year under the patronage of the British High Commissioner to Singapore. The Charity Gala Performance and Dinner has yet to confirm this year s Guest of Honour, while over the years it has often been graced by the highest officials of the land. In the recent past, some $85,000 has been raised each year for charity at these events and this year the British Theatre Playhouse s Art for Charity Gala Performance and Dinner is in aid of the HCA Hospice Care Association. Written by one of the world s most celebrated crime thriller writers, Dame Agatha Christie, and with a cast direct from the UK, including actors from the London West End productions, this an opportunity for Singapore and S.E. Asian audiences to join in the worldwide, Diamond Anniversary celebrations of the 60th year of continuous performances in London s West End and see why this celebrated murder-mystery is the longest-running play in the history of world theatre. The Mousetrap will have twelve performances in Singapore opening at Raffles Hotel s Jubilee Hall on October 4th with performances up-to and including the 13th October. The producers, Cecilia Leong-Faulkner and John Faulkner are delighted to announce that the opening night audience will include Sir Stephen Waley-Cohen, producer of the London West End production. Sir Stephen manages the St Martins Theatre (where The Mousetrap is presented) and is owner of London s Victoria Palace Theatre (where Billy Elliott is currently playing) and the Ambassadors Theatre in St Martins Lane. From 2002 to 2005 Sir Stephen Waley-Cohen was President of the Society of London Theatres. He is also the current Chairman of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA).
The cast in Singapore will be led by British actor Tim Wallers in the role of Giles Ralston. Tim is one of the UK s most established actors and has appeared in West End productions of Yes Minister ; The Cabinet Minister ; Mama Mia, as well as Kean, directed by Sam Mendes. Joining Tim, will be Isla Carter as Mollie Ralston. Isla is a graduate of the famous LAMDA school in London and her work includes an extraordinary range of musical and acting skills in productions from Cole Porter s High Society to Ibsen s A Dolls House. She nominates one of her favorite productions as working for director Michael Rudman on a new play called Berlin Hanover Express at the Hampstead Theatre Club. Tony Boncza plays Mr. Paravicini. Tony appeared in the films of Chariots of Fire and Steven Spielberg s Empire of the Sun and in the London production on The Mousetrap. He has just completed a national tour and West End run of the hit stage version of Yes Minister. Katherine Heath played Miss Casewell in The Mousetrap in the West End in 2011. A graduate of RADA she appeared in London and Stratford-on-Avon in the title role in the Royal Shakespeare company production of Alice in Wonderland. On television her work includes Doctors, Beech is Back, Casualty and Prisoners of the Sun.
Richard Keightley has just finished playing Algernon in The Importance of Being Earnest and Orlando in As You Like It open air for the Guildford Shakespeare Company and his other theatre includes Twelfth Night at The National Theatre. He appeared as Christopher Wren in the 60th Anniversary West End cast of The Mousetrap. Thomas Richardson plays Detective Sergeant Trotter having appeared in the London cast as Christopher Wren in The Mousetrap. Thomas s work includes productions at some of the UK s leading regional theatres; the national tour of Dads Army (as Private Pike ) and Arsenic and Old Lace at Vienna s English theatre. Sarah Whitlock as Mrs. Boyle is another Mousetrap West End cast member and was also in the London cast of the hit comedy No Sex Please, We re British. Her television appearances include Filth, The Mary Whitehouse Story, Upstairs Downstairs, The Miss Marple TV Series and The Bill. John Faulkner is one half of the production team of British Theatre Playhouse. He appeared in the role of Giles in the 32nd year of The Mousetrap in London and is delighted to now be playing the (more mature!) role of Major Metcalf. Other London West End work includes productions of The Seagull ; The Good Companions ; The Gay Lord Quex ; Dandy Dick ; Oh Mr. Porter and Me and My Girl.
This British Theatre Playhouse South East Asia tour of The Mousetrap play will be directed by Denise Silvey, production artistic supervisor of the Mousetrap Productions (London). Denise recently also directed The Mousetrap in Shanghai in Mandarin! During its sixty years The Mousetrap has welcomed a host of celebrities. On the 25th of November 2002 a Royal Gala Performance was held to celebrate The Mousetrap s Golden Jubilee, attended by Her Majesty The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh. And still the celebrities come, with a visit in March this year 2013 by the, equally regal, Simon Cowell! Synopsis: It is the Winter of 1952 and seven people are stranded by a snowstorm at Monkswell Manor, a remote country guest house, cut off from the roads and from the phone. A policeman, Sergeant Trotter, manages to reach the house to warn them there has been a murder at a nearby farmhouse but, no sooner has he given his warning then, suddenly, an elderly guest is murdered. There are only six of them remaining and suddenly those six realise the truth - that one of them in the house is the murderer. Finally Sergeant Trotter believes he knows which of the six is the killer and he calls them together to set a trap which will reveal the identity of the murderer - but who is it and can he or she be found in time, before another murder is committed? For further information, please contact: Cecilia Leong-Faulkner Director British Theatre Playhouse Pte. Ltd. www.britishtheatreplayhouse.com DID: +65 6449 4855 Mobile: +65 9815 6230 E-mail: cecilia2@singnet.com.sg NOTES TO EDITORS The full bios can be made available on request, please write to producer@britishtheatreplayhouse.com Sir Stephen Waley-Cohen was educated in Eton College and did his Post Graduate in Law from Magdalene College, Cambridge. He has wide experience in management, finance and marketing and is the ex-chairman of Portsmouth & Sunderland Newspaper Tickets for The Mousetrap in Singapore have been on sale through SISTIC, since 15th May 2013 Early bird discount on tickets to The Mousetrap are available until 11th August All ticket holders will enjoy an exclusive 2 0% discount on their F&B bills at Swissotel The Stamford and Raffles Hotel (more details are available on SISTIC website on The Mousetrap web page) Under the patronage of the British High Commissioner, H.E. Mr Antony Phillipson, British Theatre Playhouse will be organizing The Mousetrap Art for Charity Gala on Thursday 10th October, 2013 to support HCA Hospice Care, a registered charity in Singapore providing comfort and support to patients with life-limiting illnesses
Incorporated in Singapore, the British Theatre Playhouse turns 10 years old this year (2004 2013) and has helped raised in total the region of $1million benefiting various charities such as the Community Chest of Singapore, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Viva Foundation for Children with Cancer, MILK (Mainly I Love Kids), KK Hospital Health Endowment Fund, Business Times Budding Artists Fund and The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund under the company s Art for Charity programme British Theatre Playhouse is a professional theatre production company incorporated in Singapore in 2004 and is internationally focused with a strong British connection In 2012, British Theatre Playhouse established a UK branch office in order to work even more closely with established British playwrights, writers, actors, directors, musical directors, set and costume designers. The company has produced and presented a series of highly successful British productions in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and the UK The BritishTheatre Playhouse s production of The Mousetrap will tour to Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur Produced by: Supported by: Official Venue: Official Hotel for UK Cast: www.britishtheatreplayhouse.com