Agatha Christie’s legendary thriller The Mousetrap continues its historic run in London’s West End, now welcoming a new cast led by Georgina Fairbanks as Mollie Ralston. The production, famous for its twists and genre‑defining mystery, remains one of the capital’s most enduring theatrical experiences.
Under the direction of Ola Ince, the world’s longest‑running play enters a fresh chapter while staying true to the atmosphere that has captivated audiences for over seven decades.
The Mousetrap is currently booking at St Martin’s Theatre through to October 2026, with performances Monday to Saturday at 7.30pm and matinees on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 3.00pm. Tickets are available here.
You’re starring in The Mousetrap at St Martin’s Theatre – what can you tell us about the show?
Yes, I play Mollie Ralston, the proprietor of Monkswell Manor Guest House. The play opens with Mollie and her husband welcoming their very first group of guests, who turn out to be a rather peculiar bunch. Snowed in with nowhere to go and a murderer on the loose, Mollie’s dream of running the perfect guest house quickly starts to unravel…
The Mousetrap is a theatrical institution, the longest‑running play in the world. It has been delighting audiences for 74 years, which is quite an extraordinary feat.
I think it endures because it’s a great night out. It’s full of laughter, silliness and tension, as well as the classic Christie twists.
Beneath the light‑hearted whodunnit setup is a story about our individual and collective responsibility to our community and its most vulnerable members. It’s a theme that remains as relevant today as it was in post‑war Britain.
Doing this play with this company of actors is a real joy. We’re so lucky to be working with our wonderful director, Ola Ince, who has injected pace and energy into the show. I’m grateful to get to play with them every night.
What first drew you to the role of Mollie Ralston, and how have you approached bringing this character to life?
I spent the first half of 2025 performing in Wilko: Love, Death and Rock ’n’ Roll at the Southwark Playhouse and Leicester Square Theatre, which was a blast. The show was produced by Denise Silvey, The Mousetrap’s Artistic Director. After seeing my work in Wilko, she was kind enough to invite me to meet with Ola and audition for Mollie.
I really love Mollie. She’s a risk‑taker. She inherits Monkswell Manor from her aunt and decides to turn it into a business, which speaks to her determination and gumption. She’s no wallflower. She’s energetic and playful, maybe slightly naïve, with a hunger for life.
Ahead of rehearsals, I spent time working through the text, mining for clues about who Mollie is and how she thinks. I always pay close attention to what a character says about herself and what others say about her, as it reveals the gap between self‑perception and how others experience her.
I listened to the original radio play, Three Blind Mice, which offered extra layers to explore. For example, in the radio version, Mollie is grieving the loss of her fiancé, who died in the war, when she meets her now‑husband, Giles. That’s a juicy detail that doesn’t appear in the stage play. I love unearthing these hidden layers of life before the story begins, then cherry‑picking the ones that help shape my version of her.
I also enjoy pulling together visuals for my characters to help build their world in my head. For Mollie, that meant diving into films and imagery from the period, exploring what Monkswell’s rooms might look like, and what she might wear, listen to, read, and so on. It was great fun immersing myself in her world like that.
This new company is working under director Ola Ince. What has the rehearsal process been like with this creative team?
As I understand it, the show has traditionally had a very short rehearsal period for cast refreshes, often just a few days rehearsing directly on stage. Under Ola’s direction, though, it’s been a different experience. With her reworked script in hand, we spent three weeks in a rehearsal room, building the show with a fresh perspective.
I feel very lucky to be part of this production and to have had the space to explore the piece (and Mollie) freely.
The Mousetrap has such an extraordinary legacy. How does it feel to join a production that has run for over 70 years?
It feels absolutely amazing, and a little daunting, to be honest. There’s so much love for this story, for Agatha Christie, and for the legacy of the show from both audiences and the incredible team who’ve kept it running for so many years.
Janet Hudson‑Holt, for example, has been Head of Wardrobe for decades and is an absolute wealth of knowledge about the production. It’s a wonderful experience working with a mix of creatives, some who’ve lived and breathed The Mousetrap for years, and others, like me, who are coming to it fresh for this new chapter. I’ve never experienced that dynamic before.
The play is famous for its twists and sense of mystery. What do you enjoy most about performing in a story that keeps audiences guessing?
I love hearing audience theories after the show, it’s always fun to find out how their suspicions change as the story unfolds.
As a company, we work hard to keep it fresh every night, so even we end up shifting our own suspicions depending on how shifty everyone’s acting that evening.
What would you say to anyone thinking of booking to see The Mousetrap?
What are you waiting for? Do it. Come and enjoy this brilliant show with us.
