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The Mousetrap indefinitely postpones plans to reopen in London's West End

<span>Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PA</span>
Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PA

The reopening of The Mousetrap in London’s West End has been postponed indefinitely, signalling the continued precarious climate for the UK’s beleaguered theatre industry.

Agatha Christie’s whodunnit, the longest-running play in the world, had been due to welcome socially distanced audiences at St Martin’s theatre from 23 October onwards. However, its producer Adam Spiegel announced on Tuesday that it would now be postponed “in view of the current uncertainty and with greater restrictions looming for London”. Last week, as new coronavirus restrictions were announced for parts of the UK, London was placed on the government’s Covid-19 “watchlist”, although no additional rules are currently set to be introduced in the capital.

When it was announced in July, the return of The Mousetrap had been hailed by Spiegel as “the beginning of the end of a very dark time in the history of the theatre”. It was due to be the first play to resume its run in the West End since the pandemic closed theatres in March. But the “deeply saddened” producer said on Tuesday that they had been anticipating a gradual easing of restrictions in the autumn. Instead, “the government’s announcement last week that the situation is deteriorating, together with increased restrictions being imposed across the country, makes it impossible to proceed with confidence”.

The postponement will send further shockwaves of uncertainty through London’s Theatreland, where a small number of other shows are set to return this autumn. The musical Six and the farce The Play That Goes Wrong are both due to open in November but both will be unlikely to make a profit by playing to a reduced capacity.

There was a chorus of disapproval from the UK’s theatre industry last week at Rishi Sunak’s winter economy plan. In the Daily Telegraph, the acclaimed producer Sonia Friedman wrote that the government “needs to provide proper support to our workforce now, publish clear guidance on the public health conditions and safety measures required for us to resume performances, and underwrite the cost of insurance”.

Spiegel said a new date for The Mousetrap to reopen will be announced as soon as there is a more certain environment. Ticket holders will be contacted by their point of purchase and offered a credit note or full refund.

The Mousetrap has been performed 28,200 times in London and sold more than 10m tickets. It was originally adapted from Christie’s radio play Three Blind Mice, written for the royal family in 1947.