MURDER LURKS: Mollie (Jessica Bedford) finds herself in the midst of a deadly intrigue, in an isolated old manor house, cut off from the rest of the world, surrounded by an odd assortment of complete strangers, one of whom is a murderer, in McCarter Theatre’s production of Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap,” the longest running play in the history of English theater. (Photo by T. Charles Erickson)

Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap opened in London in 1952, and 64 years later, after more than 25,000 performances, it is still playing, by far the longest running show in theater history. Though McCarter’s current rendition of the classic murder mystery will run only two more weeks, until March 27, the high-energy, captivating Matthews Theatre production displays vividly the lasting appeal of this show. Whether you’re a whodunit aficionado or not, this show with its eight finely drawn, deftly presented characters and its rich visual appeal is highly entertaining from start to finish.

The Mousetrap has all the key ingredients of a great murder mystery: a Victorian manor house in an isolated rural setting, cut off from the rest of the world by a massive snow storm; strong-willed characters, all mysterious in their own ways, all with secrets, all of whom might be something other than what they appear to be. And from the first moment of the play, the suspense is high and rising — there’s a murderer on the loose!

Dame Agatha (1890-1976) wrote about 60 novels, with more than two billion copies sold, and 16 plays. Only the Bible and Shakespeare have outsold her. Ms. Christie turned to playwriting in mid-career because of her objections to other playwrights following her books too closely in adapting them. She claimed that greater simplification was necessary for the stage.

The greater simplification and concentration of action results in perhaps even greater pleasure, excitement, and surprise for the theater audience than for the readers of her novels. The Mousetrap was based on a radio sketch Ms. Christie wrote to commemorate the 80th birthday of Queen Mary. She later turned it into a novella and then created the full-length stage play.

Before the lights come up on the main stage at McCarter, a scary prologue, played out in large silhouettes on the front curtain, sets the tone for the evening: a woman’s scream, panicked voices, a phone call, a police whistle — and a radio voice announces that Scotland Yard reports a woman has been murdered. The front curtain falls away to reveal the great hall at Monkswell Manor, which will remain the setting for the rest of the evening.

The remarkably majestic and detailed set by Alexander Dodge features dark wood paneling, a 17-foot high ceiling with carved pendants, a large stone fireplace, sconces on the wall, Victorian furniture, heavy curtains open to reveal a huge upstage window with the snow outside falling and piling up steadily. Lighting by Philip S. Rosenberg and chilling sound effects by Nick Kourtides, enhanced by the imposing size of the Matthews Theatre stage, effectively, eerily help to establish the ominous, isolated world of the play.

Mollie (Jessica Bedford) and Giles (Adam Green), married just a year, are opening a guest house in the country 30 miles outside London and are preparing to receive their first guests. The tension rises steadily, as the snow falls, the eccentric, suspicious guests — some expected, some not — enter one by one, the radio continues to broadcast reports of the murder, and a phone call announces that the police will soon be arriving to conduct an investigation at Monkswell Manor.

First is a nervous, talkative, affected young man (Andy Phelan), who claims to be an architect and is appropriately named Christopher Wren. As he chats with Mollie, his fascination in exploring the depth of other people establishes a theme of the play. “I do so like knowing all about people,” he tells her. “I mean, I think people are so madly interesting. Don’t you? They’re all interesting, because you never really know what anyone is like — or what they are really thinking. For instance you don’t know what I’m thinking about now, do you?” His words take on an ominous quality as the mysterious characters with their secrets and their deceiving appearances, enter the scene.

Second to arrive is the haughty, matronly, harshly critical Mrs. Boyle (Sandra Shipley); followed by Major Metcalf (Graeme Malcolm, Scrooge in McCarter’s Christmas Carol over the past several years), a distinguished, good-natured retired military man; Miss Casewell (Emily Young), a sharp-tongued young woman, masculine in attire and manner with a mysterious past; and finally Mr. Paravicini (Thom Sesma), a histrionic, heavily made-up older man whose Rolls Royce, he reports, is stuck in the snow nearby. He introduces himself as “a man of mystery” and delights in the growing intrigue at the manor house. Detective Sergeant Trotter (Richard Gallagher) arrives later, on skis, to complete the fascinating ensemble and, of course, to track down the murderer, who has already killed one “blind mouse” and is waiting to strike victims two and three. “Three Blind Mice,” the murderer’s eerie signature tune is heard several times throughout the evening.

By the end of the first of two acts, the phone lines have been cut, the house is completely isolated, another corpse lies stretched out on the floor, and everyone knows that one among them is the murder and another his or her next victim. Fear and danger increase, as the sergeant pursues his interrogation, probing into the characters’ guarded pasts, forcing hidden truths from the unwilling suspects and finally attempting to stage a re-enactment of the murder.

It’s a superb cast. Mr. Green, who played Figaro in The Figaro Plays at McCarter two years ago, and Ms. Bedford create absorbing, appealing, three-dimensional characters, easy to relate to, as they work out their marital issues under the mounting pressures of the onslaught of difficult guests and the ominous murder plot. The other characters, all larger than life, are rendered credibly here in fine idiosyncratic, often humorous detail.

Deftly directed by Adam Immerwahr, the ensemble misses no opportunity for humor or dramatic intrigue. Characters’ reactions, sometimes subtle, sometimes blatant, are spot-on and fun to watch. The pacing is appropriately focused to keep the audience involved in solving the mystery. Costumes by Jess Goldstein vividly help in delineating these finely drawn individuals and in establishing the setting in post-World War II England.

McCarter’s first-rate production makes the most of Agatha Christie’s masterful plotting and these delightfully drawn figures, ensuring that audience members engage with the denizens of Monkswell Manor in urgently seeking the truth. No secrets will be revealed here. Surprises abound, and you’re sure to keep guessing until just before the curtain falls at the end of this unremittingly entertaining evening.

McCarter Theatre’s production of Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap” will run through March 27 at McCarter’s Matthews Theatre. Call (609) 258-2787 or visit online at mccarter.org for information.