The Mousetrap at St. Martin's Theatre — Attraction in London

Old theatre, old play... The Mousetrap! The story was nice, a bit obvious, but a nice pleasant diversion, nonetheless: I will keep the play's secret... secret! The old nature of the theatre holds a certain antiquated charm harking back to elder days; this charm, however, also asserted itself on the viewing of the play itself by embuing me with a fabulous view of a slightly balding head belonging to the gentleman seated in front of me; the gentle, benign slope of the ancient theatre floor stubbornly refused to assist me in my much anticipated viewing of the play, instead it assisted in positioning the chaps head slap bang in front of me. As the play progressed, I figured out that, by leaning hard on the arm rests, I could elevate myself ever so slightly above the globe in front of my to enjoy parts of the show - albeit with a fleshy horizon obscuring my view; alas, my abdomen muscles were not up to the task of maintaining this elevated position throughout the show - the chap behind was lucky, as he was able to shift to the adjoining, happily vacant, seats and benefit from some somewhat shorter theatregoers. Now, I realise that some folk enjoy these sorts of challenges and that there's a chance they may well be tutting at me for the miserly number of stars I attributed to this experience, perhaps thinking that paying £50+ for row M stall seats invites this kind of thing - please, I really haven't intended to offend anyone: please understand, I was caught off guard, having procured seats in a central position, into thinking I had decent seats. You know, if I were ever to rule the world, I wouldn't permit 'seats', such as those I had they misfortune to buy, to be sold; indeed, the number one item on my 'to do' list would be to save others from repeating my unfortunate experience through legislation: understand that, from my perspective, I just wouldn't pay (or want anyone else to pay) to see the back of anyone's head on any day... ever! Anyhow, now that I know, I shall try my utmost to avoid making this kind of mistake in the future (by the way, the attached photo, taken during the interval, does not show the head in question... a bit...

Not the most accessible theatre in the West end. If you're a wheel chair user you will need assistance through the front doors with a ramp towards the stalls and possibly permission for your drinks to be brought to you for the interval. I didn't visit the downstairs toilet so can't vouch for it's a accessibility features. I suggest contacting the venue for extra access assistance when booking tickets for the Mousetrap. It's a very tiny bijou theatre with a richly recorded history of performances, breaking Guinness Book of records achievements for longest running show, longest main character and long suffering understudy who only got to fulfill the role 75 times in an astonishing commitment of thousands of chances.

We were near the back of the small dress circle with a clear view of the stage but the acoustics aren't that crisp so some actors projection passed me by. Seats are cramped so don't take large bags unless they contain a necessary cushion for an arthritic back. Beware munching or crunching snacks during the two act play as tolerance levels can be low from other members of the audience. I'll try to eat most of mine in the future in the interval or eat a bigger meal before attending. There is an art to eating popcorn from a packet and that is to empty it into your hand not rustle though the packet but by bit. Please though can objectors not mean forward to hiss in your ear. It scared the living daylights out of me more than what was happening on stage. The bar prices for drink were quite moderate, cocktail names fun but don't expect a wide choice of anything as the service area is small. We highly recommend the Yorkshire truffle crisps ...but don't dare to crunch them whilst watching the Mousetrap. Decor very mid 20 th century. If you're ND like me beware the patterned carpet in reception area and on the stairway....

I love a good whodunit, and The Mousetrap is a classic. However, the overall experience wasn’t the best. We sat at the back of the stalls, and it was quite difficult to hear the actors clearly. You really had to focus to understand what they were saying.

We went on a Tuesday, and the play felt quite slow. It could have really benefited from some background music to fill in the long pauses and silences, which made it feel even slower. This is definitely not the best show to attend after a long workday — it requires focus and effort to keep up with the dialogue and pacing.

The lighting was also an issue — several scenes were too dark, which was tiring on the eyes. The theatre itself felt very hot and stuffy, and the seats were close together, making the space feel a bit suffocating.

Overall, the theatre could improve the experience by adjusting the temperature, improving the lighting, and using microphones or background music to enhance the atmosphere. I wouldn’t choose to see it again right away, but if I did, I’d go on a weekend when I’m more relaxed. I’d also pick seats near the front of the stalls or in the front of the circle to hear the dialogue more clearly — and hopefully, by then, some of these issues will have...