The Mousetrap: Agatha Christie's West End hit heads to Broadway after 70 years

The world’s longest-running play, The Mousetrap, which marks its 70th anniversary on Friday, is to open on Broadway for the first time next year.

Agatha Christie’s whodunit premiered in London’s West End on 25 November 1952, and the writer initially thought it might run for only eight months.

But it has since become a West End fixture, being performed almost 29,000 times and seen by 10 million people.

The show has been staged in the US before, but never in New York.

The Broadway transfer comes after the profile of the play received a boost when it featured in the recent murder mystery film See How They Run.

The movie is set in 1953 against the backdrop of the show’s 100th performance, with a starry cast including Saoirse Ronan, Ruth Wilson, Adrien Brody, David Oyelowo and Sam Rockwell.

Well-known names have been promised for the play’s Broadway cast, although they have not yet been revealed.

Its producers have said now is a good time for it to hit New York, given Christie’s enduring appeal.

Co-producer Kevin McCollum said he was “thrilled” at the news, adding that he was “excited for the huge Christie fanbase in North America, and for the acting company in New York who will join the esteemed ranks of The Mousetrap alumni”.

Details of the venue and dates for the Broadway run have not yet been announced.

On Friday, there will also be a special midday matinee performance in London for some of the people who have worked on or been involved in the production in the past.

A 70th anniversary touring production of The Mousetrap started in September and will visit more than 70 venues throughout the UK and Ireland to mark its milestone.