The Moustrap

1. The Moustrap by Agatha Christie

2. Murder mystery full length

3. Exposition: The setting is in Monkswell Cabin in present day. Before the play begins, the radio announces that Maureen Lyon is killed. After that and the Ralston's preparing their new guest house, five guests (Christopher Wren, Mrs. Boyle, Mr. Paravinci, Miss Casewell, and Major Metclaff) arrive. Christopher Wren is named after the architect by his parents and is child-like; Mrs. Boyle is critical about everything that is inside Monkswell Cabin; Major Metclaff is retired from the army; Miss Casewell is a masculine woman who talks about tragic stuff in her childhood (kinda imagined her being played by a man with feminine looks), and Mr. Paravinci is weird. Each guests and the owner's information is revealed through dialogue.

Conflict: After a while of being in Monkswell Cabin, Mrs. Boyle is strangled and killed. After that, everyone starts to begin to not trust each other.

4. Mollie Ralston

Giles Ralston

Major Metclaff

Detective Sergeant Trotter

5. The main conflict of this play is that Mrs. Boyle is killed inside Monkswell Cabin, and everyone inside the cabin is in hysteria because there is a murderer among the survivors.

6. It'll be perfect for a traditional proscenium theatre, because I imagined the setting to be big in order to fit what is described (like the scene where Mrs. Boyle is killed)

7. I think that this play is suited for middle schoolers and beyond. It does have seriousness, but I believe that people can understand the topics being discussed here.

8. I enjoyed the play. The first day reading it was hard for me, but that was because I was pretty tired and it's the end of the day. I did know the ending of the play before I read it because I was curious if Lady Ethridge was doing that comedy in the 90's. Apparently not. Although I will say that I did enjoy the ending, because it didn't follow the "detective fills in the plot holes and reveals the murderer" cliche. I will say that some cliches are necessary for plays and stories—especially like these—but cliches in horrors just make me say "Nope. Play's ruined. I will not continuing reading."

I will say that if I haven't went on Wikipedia to read the ending, I would expect Paravinci or Christopher Wren to be the killer, and then be surprised at the end. But I did, and it was a real bummer. Even with or without the ending being revealed, the characters and their hysteria about "who is the killer" bring you in and you continue reading more and more of the play.