The Mousetrap and Other Plays by Agatha Christie Page B

OF SCENES
    ACT I
    The lounge of the King Solomon Hotel, Jerusalem. Afternoon
    ACT II
    S CENE 1    The Travellers’ Camp at Petra. Early afternoon. A week later
    S CENE 2     The same. Three hours later
    ACT III
    S CENE 1   The same. The following morning
    S CENE 2   The same. The same afternoon
    Time: the present
    Â 
    AUTHOR’S NOTE
    The effect of the lift ascending and descending can be easily obtained by having a gauze window in the lift door, behind which is a shutter which can be raised as the lift descends and lowered as the lift ascends. There should be a domed light which is always alight, suspended in the lift in sight of the audience.
    Characters should wear semitropical clothes suitable to character and nationality. It will be found effective if all characters wear costume light in colour, except MRS . BOYNTON , who should dress throughout in unrelieved black. The Hotel CLERK wears a grey frock coat and tarboosh. The DRAGOMAN wears a white Arab dress and red tarboosh in the hotel, but changes into brown garments for the camp scenes, as also does the ARAB BOY . COLONEL CARBERY wears the khaki uniform of the Palestine Police, i.e. tunic and shorts with a blue service peaked cap.

ACT ONE
    SCENE : The lounge of the King Solomon Hotel, Jerusalem. Afternoon.
    Back Centre are three open arches, the centre one giving access to a terrace with a balcony rail with a wide expanse of blue sky beyond. An arch up Right leads to the main entrance, and arches down Right and up Left lead to other parts of the hotel. There is a lift behind a sliding door down Left. A quadrant counter for the reception clerk is up Left. A small table stands Centre with five chairs around it. There is a low table with a chair above it, down Right. Other small tables are set against the walls. On the terrace there are two chairs and a table with a sunshade.
    When Curtain rises , MRS . BOYNTON is seated above the table Centre. She is a vast obese woman, rather like an idol, with an expressionless face. She moves her head and eyes, but not her body. A stick is beside her chair. Her family are grouped round her like courtiers round a queen. GINEVRA BOYNTON , her daughter, sits Right of MRS . BOYNTON . She is a pretty girl of nineteen with a lost, vacant expression. She sits staring into space: occasionally her lips move as though she is talking to herself. Her fingers are picking at a handkerchief which she is tearing in little bits. This is partly masked by the table. NADINE BOYNTON , the daughter-in-law, sits Left of MRS . BOYNTON . She is a quiet woman of twenty-eight. She is sewing. LENNOX BOYNTON , MRS . BOYNTON ’s elder son and NADINE ’s husband, sits Left of NADINE . He is holding a book upside down and appears to be reading. The HOTEL CLERK is behind his desk. A glamorous ITALIAN GIRL enters up Right and crosses to the desk.
    GIRL . ( To the CLERK ) La mia chiave, per favore.
    CLERK . ( Puzzled ) I beg your pardon?
    GIRL . ( Emphasizing ) Chiave. Ah, you do not understand. My—key—please.
    CLERK . Oh. Certainly, signorina. ( He hands her a key. )
    GIRL . Grazie, signor. ( She moves towards the lift. )
    ( The lift door opens. ALDERMAN HIGGS enters from the lift. He is a portly, middle-aged man and has a broad Lancashire accent. He stands aside to let the GIRL pass, half-raising his hat. )
    ( She acknowledges HIGGS ’ courtesy with a smile ) Signor.
    ( The GIRL exits to the lift. The door closes and the lift ascends. HIGGS glances curiously at the B OYNTONS , as though slightly fascinated by their static quality, crosses hurriedly towards the arch up Right, then stops, turns and moves to the desk. )
    HIGGS . ( To the CLERK ) Any letters for me? Name of ’Iggs.
    CLERK . Letters are at the concierge’s office in the hall, sir.
    HIGGS . Conciurge? Moost you call ’im by these fancy names? What’s wrong with “porter”?
    CLERK . ( Indifferently ) Just as you please,