By Natalie Austin -- Daily Staff Writer

WINCHESTER — Renowned mystery writer Agatha Christie set the standard long ago for the perfect "whodunit," a formula used on TV shows like "Perry Mason" and the more contemporary "CSI" crime series and its spin-offs.

One of her many works, "The Mousetrap" is the longest running play in theatrical history, still stumping audiences in London's West End for more than 57 years and 23,000 performances.

"It's sort of a genre defining piece," says William Diggle, who is directing the show for Wayside Theatre.

The play opens for preview performances Oct. 11, with opening night Oct. 12 at the theater in Middletown.

On a recent morning on the fourth floor of a sprawling historic home in Winchester, seasoned Wayside actors filtered in with coffee in-hand to rehearse and block scenes. Their collective enthusiasm for Christie was evident, as was the director's.

"She's actually the best-selling author in history," says Diggle. "She creates characters grandiose in reality but thoroughly entertaining."

Christie's characters also are based on people that most everyone has bumped into at one time or another, from the grumpy old grandmother to a smarmy neighbor, says Diggle. Many are stock characters reworked many times for her mysteries.

The two-act play is set in the early 1950s, when a young couple open their hotel for its first night. Leah Raulerson portrays Mollie Ralston, who inherited the converted Monkswell Manor. She and her husband, Giles, portrayed by David Maga, are faced with a blizzard, four colorful guests — and two murders. An additional traveler, an Italian gentleman named Paravicini, played by Larry Dahlke, arrives without reservations after his car is caught in a snowdrift.

Shortly after their arrival, Detective Sgt. Trotter (Carl Randolph) shows up on skis to inform the group that he believes a murderer is on his way from London, about 30 miles away. It's not long, however, before one of the guests is murdered, offstage, shortening the suspect list but not the suspense.

Diggle says one of his challenges is to keep the pace moving so that audience members don't have time to think too hard. The first act plays almost like a comedy until murder comes to visit.

British accents are another. There's one cockney, a lower-class Englishman, to perfect, along with what Diggle describes as "a pseudo-Italian."

The eight-member cast must build the action in the first act, followed by a second that moves very quickly, says Diggle.

"I enjoy the breadth of the characters. There's so much room for creativity to what she puts down on the page," he says.

Wayside veteran Thomasin Savaiano (Miss Casewell) describes her character as not a typical 1950s woman.

"She's obviously a female ahead of her time," says Savaiano, reluctant to give away too much.

Lacking many of the mannerisms of a female character, Miss Casewell is a fun challenge, adds Savaiano, who has performed in other Christie plays.

As the detective who solves the mystery, Randolph says he loves his character, who he describes as a straight, smart police officer. The audience, of course, will be working along with him, says Randolph, hearing clues, sifting through red herrings, to find the truth.

Adam Gearhart, playing Christopher Wren, will make his debut on the Wayside stage — as a neurotic.

Wren is neurotic before murder becomes the focal point. His character must be able to change mood on a dime, says Gearhart, adding he is glad his debut is a Christie work.

As a new innkeeper, Raulerson says, her character is faced with keeping her guests happy, first amid a blizzard and later shut in with a murderer. Maga says he is less enthusiastic than his wife about being an innkeeper in the first place, spending most of his time stoking the fire.

One of the early guests, Mrs. Boyle is a delight to play, says actress Faith Potts. She is nasty, impossible to please, complaining about lack of staff and a taxi, says Potts.

"I think their advertisement is totally misleading; there's not even a proper staff," says Potts, transforming for a moment with a perfect English accent.

She continued with a few lines, cracking up her castmates.

"Then this policeman shows up on skis. Are we paying the police to play winter sports now?" she says, acidly.

Wayside veteran James Laster portrays Major Metcalf, a retired military man, touring the country.

With the play running during October, it is definitely a Halloween offering, says Diggle.

"It is the most enduring of her plays," he says. "I like that it is her most classic stage piece and it is probably my favorite."

"The Mousetrap" begins with preview performances at 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 11. The 8 p.m. preview is sold out. Performances continue at 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Matinees, at 2:30 p.m., will be held Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $23 to $28 for adults and $10 for children 17 and younger. Group and subscription rates also are available. The play closes Nov. 8. Call the box office at 869-1776 or go online to www.waysidetheatre.org for tickets or more information.

Contact Natalie Austin at naustin@nvdaily.com