T-R PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY The cast of the Marshalltown Community Theatre production of Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap,” which debuts tonight at the Miller Middle School auditorium, poses for a recent photo. Sitting, from left to right, are Jesse DeMeyer, Gray Carlton and Hobz Hooley. Standing, from left to right, are Casey Cook, Regina Gill, Tyler Lillibridge, John Gill and Lydia Lillibridge.

Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap” is the longest running play in history. Now it’s come to Marshalltown.

It will be staged by Marshalltown Community Theatre at the Miller Middle School Auditorium at 7 p.m. on March 1, 2, 8 and 9 with a 2 p.m. Sunday matinee March 3 and 10.

The show debuted in London’s West End in 1952 and ran continuously until March 16, 2020, when it was halted due to the COVID-19 shutdown. It re-opened on May 17, 2021 and continues to be put on in England and around the world. The murder mystery centers on a group of strangers trapped together at a remote manor in the English countryside during a snowstorm. Each has a skeleton in the closet.

Joshua Krough said he came aboard as director at the last minute when Bill Roberts had to step aside due to health issues.

“It’s a tribute to him that we continued on. I didn’t want the longest running play to not come through,” Krough said.

While Roberts is an Agatha Christie buff, Krough had never seen the play before. But after watching some productions of it online, he knew where he’d like to make some tweaks.

“I changed the set to (improve) the lighting of the characters’ faces,” he noted.

All cast members speak in an English accent except for the mysterious Mr. Paravicini.

Rehearsals began back in mid-January.

“The funny thing about it is the play takes place during a blizzard, and the second night of doing run-throughs we got a big storm. It was really method acting,” he said with a laugh.

Hobz Hooley not only plays the role of Christopher Wren in the production, he’s also assistant director and serves on the MCT board of directors.

“We have tried to give it our own interpretation and look at it through fresh eyes,” he said. “The show has been seen by a lot of people. MCT has performed it in the past, but we’ve tried to make sure it’s our version and not just copy what we’ve seen others do.”

Hooley has been in several MCT shows, most notably, portraying the Cowardly Lion in “The Wizard of Oz” and Brom Bones in “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.”

Being part of a cast while also having to provide fellow actors with corrections or suggestions can be challenging.

“As an assistant director, I typically watch the rehearsals from the audience or backstage and give my own feedback and notes, as necessary,” he said. “Because I’m also on the stage playing a part, I’ve tried to draw a line between that and giving feedback. What I typically do is if I have some strong feelings about how something should change or want to run something by Josh, I talk to him about it and then let him present that to the rest of the cast. No one likes an actor who tries to direct other actors.”

In addition to directing, Krough has experience with stage production, lighting, tech and acting.

“I’m really passionate about movies and theater. I watch a movie a day,” he said. “At this point, I’ve got an itch for directing. I can say I made it my own and not look like other plays. I’m happy about that and really blessed with the actors.”

Theresa Walton has designed and made time period appropriate costumes alongside Theresa Sult, while her husband Ken Walton worked on the sets.

A two-act play, it runs a little over two hours with a 15-minute intermission.

In recent years, MCT has staged shows at Miller Middle School, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and Grimes Farm.

At MCT’s annual board meeting in April, it will determine the shows for next season. It also would like to bring back its annual kids’ acting academy.

Tickets for “The Mousetrap” are $15 each available at the door or online at https://marshalltown-community-theatre.ticketleap.com/the-mousetrap/?_gl=1*vl77rg*_gcl_au*MTM5ODk1NzE5Ni4xNzA2NTAxNTkx&fbclid=IwAR2bsin89MllVCwzIg9osWedqM55cy960dQ9mJKcUpHpvnjAsza2gayjCFg.

Auditions for “God of Carnage” will be March 4 and 5 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Miller Middle School Auditorium. The cast will be small: two men and two women, playing couples that try to resolve a playground altercation between their children, which results in a broken tooth.

“They quickly end up behaving worse than the children,” Hooley said. “It’s a comedy of manners without the manners and has got some funny moments.”

Scripts are available at Lowe’s Flowers.

Performances will be May 3-5 and May 10-12. To learn more, visit www.marshalltowncommunitytheatre.org.

“The Mousetrap” Cast:

Gray Carlton: Mollie Ralston

Jesse DeMeyer: Giles Ralston

Hobz Hooley: Christopher Wren

Regina Gill: Mrs. Boyle

John Gill: Major Metcalf

Lydia Lillibridge: Miss Casewell

Casey Cook: Mr. Paravicini

Tyler Lillibridge: Detective Trotter