THE longest running play in the world will return to Southampton next year as part of its 70th anniversary tour of the UK and Ireland.

The Mousetrap will be performed at Mayflower Theatre from February 28 to March 4 2023.

The genre-defining murder mystery from Agatha Christie, the world’s best-selling novelist of all time, will visit over 70 venues across the country, including all cities to which it originally played 70 years ago, plus many more.

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This tour marks the first of many ways that The Mousetrap will be celebrating its extraordinary milestone year.

Adam Spiegel, the producer of The Mousetrap, said: What better way to celebrate 70 glorious years of The Mousetrap than by taking Agatha Christie’s world-famous whodunnit to over 70 towns and cities throughout the UK and Ireland.

"A true British classic, this beloved tale of intrigue and suspense is as enthralling today as it was when it first opened in 1952 and I am thrilled that audiences, of all ages, and from all corners of the country, will have the chance to see it in their local theatres."

Following its 1952 premiere touring production, The Mousetrap opened in the West End where still to this day, it continues its record-breaking engagement at the St Martin’s Theatre having been performed there over 28,500 times, selling over 10 million tickets.

As news spreads of a murder in London, a group of seven strangers find themselves snowed in at Monkswell Manor, a stately countryside guesthouse. When a police sergeant arrives, the guests discover – to their horror – that a killer is in their midst. One by one, the suspicious characters reveal their sordid pasts. Which one is the murderer? Who will be their next victim?

Casting will be announced soon.

Tickets are on sale at mayflower.org.uk or from 023 8071 1811.