The cast of “The Mousetrap” perform a matinee at the Pentacle Theatre on Sunday, Oct. 17, 2021. Cast members rehearsed in masks for weeks until they began a weekly testing regimen for COVID-19 two weeks before opening night. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
Salem’s Pentacle Theatre returned to the stage this month with performances of murder mystery “The Mousetrap,” which runs through Oct. 23.
The play, written by Agatha Christie, is set at the Monkswell Manor guesthouse, where employees and guests fall under suspicion after a local woman turns up murdered.
“A police detective, arriving on skis, interrogates everyone: the newlyweds running the guest house, an architect who seems better equipped to be a chef, a dissatisfied jurist who makes life miserable for all, a retired Army major, a spinster with a curious background, and a strange man with an unplaceable accent who claims his car overturned in a snowdrift. It soon becomes clear that the killer is among them, and the seven strangers grow increasingly suspicious of one another,” the theatre said in a description of the play.
General admission tickets are $25, with a 50% discount for frontline health care workers. For more information or to buy tickets, visit the theatre’s website.
Actors Kimberly Maione and Sarah Aldrich get ready prior to a matinee performance of “The Mousetrap” at the Pentacle Theatre on Sunday, Oct. 17, 2021. Actors wear masks at all times when not on stage except for a brief removal while prepping hair and make-up before a show. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
Clyde Berry prepares for his role as Detective Sergeant Trotter before a matinee performance of “The Mousetrap” at the Pentacle Theatre on Sunday, Oct. 17, 2021. The show marked the Pentacle’s return to live performances after an extended break due to COVID-19. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
A volunteer checks the vaccination card and ticket of a theatergoer prior to a matinee performance of “The Mousetrap” at the Pentacle Theatre on Sunday, Oct. 17, 2021. Attendees had to show proof of vaccination or have a negative PCR test with 72 hours of the performance. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
Director David Cristobal talks with cast members in the green room prior to a matinee performance of “The Mousetrap” at the Pentacle Theatre on Sunday, Oct. 17, 2021. Changing COVID-19 restrictions and the possibility of a cast member testing positive meant that the show’s fate was constantly in flux. “We all knew it could be cancelled at anytime,” Cristobal said. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
From left: Cast members Michael Buss, Laura Davis, assistant director Emma Thurston, and cast member Carson Abrahamson wear masks while waiting for their curtain time prior to a matinee performance of “The Mousetrap” at the Pentacle Theatre on Sunday, Oct. 17, 2021. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
Cast members take a back staircase up to the theatre level from the green room at the start of a matinee performance of “The Mousetrap” at the Pentacle Theatre on Sunday, Oct. 17, 2021. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
Laura Davis, playing Mrs. Boyle, gives a thumbs-up to Carson Abrahamson, playing Christopher Wren, while heading from one stage door to another during a matinee performance of “The Mousetrap” at the Pentacle Theatre on Sunday, Oct. 17, 2021. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
Ed Schoaps, playing Major Metcalf, helps Laura Davis, playing Mrs. Boyle, with her headscarf backstage at a matinee performance of “The Mousetrap” at the Pentacle Theatre on Sunday, Oct. 17, 2021. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
Theatergoers chat during intermission of a matinee performance of “The Mousetrap” at the Pentacle Theatre on Sunday, Oct. 17, 2021. Ticket numbers to performances were capped at less than full capacity to allow for social distancing in seating. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
Theatergoers wait outside of the theatre during a matinee performance of “The Mousetrap” at the Pentacle Theatre on Sunday, Oct. 17, 2021. The concessions stand has been closed since reopening, but the theatre provides complimentary bottles of water to patrons. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
Tom Wrosch, playing Mr. Paravicini, and Clyde Berry as Detective Sergeant Trotter, perform during the second act of a matinee performance of “The Mousetrap” at the Pentacle Theatre on Sunday, Oct. 17, 2021. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
Clyde Berry performs as Detective Sergeant Trotter during a matinee performance of “The Mousetrap” at the Pentacle Theatre on Sunday, Oct. 17, 2021. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
Theatergoers head out following a matinee performance of “The Mousetrap” at the Pentacle Theatre on Sunday, Oct. 17, 2021. Patrons were required to be masked at all times and show either proof of vaccination or a recent negative COVID-19 test to attend. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
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