St Martin's Theatre is located in West Street, near the Charing Cross Road. It was designed as one of a pair of theatres with the Ambassadors Theatre by W.G.R. Sprague, in memoriam for the 9th Baron Willoughby de Broke. The theatre was Grade II listed by English Heritage in March 1973.

Nurtured at an early age through amateur theatricals at Compton Verney, the family seat in Warwickshire, and later developed during the time he spent in London, both as an MP for Rugby, and as a member of the House of Lords. It was his intention to devote a chapter of his autobiography "The Passing Years" to drama, but he died before the theatre's completion.
The St Martin's début was delayed by the outbreak of World War I in 1914: with the first performance of Houpla taking place on 23 November 1916.

Agatha Christie's "The Mousetrap" transferred to the theatre in March 1974 (after running continuously for 22 years at the New Ambassadors Theatre). When she wrote the play, Christie gave the rights to her grandson Mathew Prichard as a birthday present. Outside the West End, only one version of the play can be performed annually and under the contract terms of the play, no film adaptation can be produced until the West End production has been closed for at least six months.

The original West End cast included Richard Attenborough as Detective Sergeant Trotter and his wife Sheila Sim as Mollie Ralston. Since the retirement of Mysie Monte and David Raven, who each made history by remaining in the cast for more than 11 years, in their roles as Mrs Boyle and Major Metcalf, the cast has been changed annually. The change usually occurs around late November around the anniversary of the play's opening, and was the initiative of Sir Peter Saunders, the original producer. There is a tradition of the retiring leading lady and the new leading lady cutting a "Mousetrap cake" together.

The play has also made theatrical history by having an original "cast member" survive all the cast changes since its opening night. The late Deryck Guyler can still be heard, via a recording, reading the radio news bulletin in the play to this present day. The set has been changed in 1965 and 1999, but one prop survives from the original opening – the clock which sits on the mantelpiece of the fire in the main hall.

At the time of writing, the play is still running in its 57th year, with over 23,000 performances behind it. Yes, it's showing its age here and there, but the play is remarkably watchable considering its origins. Inevitably one day it will close, I suppose, but until it does, it deserves its status as Grand Dame of the West End.


St Martins Theatre, West Street, London, WC2H 9NZ

Call:    020 7836 1443