Such longevity speaks to the enduring fascination of a mystery, but the challenge lies in offering audiences a fresh experience of this classic.

It might not be innovative, but producer John Frost and director Robyn Nevin's production at Sydney's Theatre Royal this month has breathed new life into the play, even for this reviewer who has seen it once before.

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The plot is quintessential Agatha Christie, a true whodunnit: strangers trapped together in a snowed-in English guest house try to keep their own secrets hidden while contending with the prospect of a murderer in their midst.

Helpmann Award winners Anna O'Byrne and Alex Rathgeber lead the cast as the charming owners of the Monkswell Manor guest house, Mollie and Giles Ralston.

We meet them as they welcome their first guests: the eccentric young Christopher Wren (Laurence Boxhall); the unpleasant Mrs Boyle (Geraldine Turner); the straightforward Major Metcalf (Adam Murphy); the unorthodox Miss Casewell (Charlotte Friels); and an unexpected guest, the flamboyant and impish Mr Paravicini (Gerry Connolly).

That same day, news breaks that a woman has been murdered in London.

Then police officer Detective Sergeant Trotter (Tom Conroy) arrives to inform them that the woman's death is linked to tragic events in the past - and he believes the killer will strike again in that very house.

As the play unfolds the audience gathers crumbs that hint at the characters' mysterious pasts and catch glimpses of their strange behaviour, all of which make us wonder about each one: are THEY the culprit?

The cast embody their roles wholeheartedly, and the beautifully detailed set drops the audience right in the mid 20^th century.

Above all this production is a comedy, and the deft comedic timing of the cast drew out plenty of laughter from the audience.

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But there were moments of genuine tension as danger lurked and discomfort as suspicions began to pick at relationships, which cut through the humour and kept the audience wanting to discover more.

And when the climax came - revealing who it was that held homicidal tendencies - it delivered a real sense of satisfaction.

If you have not yet seen The Mousetrap, there is no sign that it will leave London's West End anytime soon (despite Mrs Christie's own prediction in 1952 that her play would enjoy a run of just eight months, since its opening it has had only a brief hiatus because of COVID-19).

But this production, presented to commemorate the 70^th anniversary of the show's London opening, is a thoroughly enjoyable way to experience this historic play - and far closer to home.

The Mousetrap plays at Theatre Royal Sydney until October 30.

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