Agatha Christie’s creaky whodunit shines with strong cast and lavish production.

There are stage warhorses — shows that have been around forever and remain popular — and then there’s The Mousetrap. Famous for being the longest-running play ever, anywhere, full stop, Agatha Christie’s seminal whodunit is the kickoff show for the Arvada Center’s 50^th anniversary season.

The theatre’s artistic director, Lynne Collins, helms this one with an exceptional cast of (mostly) well-known Colorado actors and a lavish production centered around Brian Mallgrave’s stately set. (Some audiences have rewarded its active snow backdrop with applause.)

The familiar story has a group of people snowed in at a British country inn, with each character presumably a suspect in a murder that occurs at the end of Act 1. The twist ending delivers a nice payoff for all those attempting to guess the identity of the killer, and along the way there we’re introduced to eight characters cooped up together under extraordinary circumstances.

Collins leans into whatever funny can be found, allowing the actors to explore tics and quirks to fill out the roles with more color. No one leans into this more than Jacob Dresch as Christopher Wren — a seemingly daft young man whose inconsistent accounts of his doings are like a bushel of red herrings.

Over the past few seasons at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Dresch has supercharged a number of characters with his signature wit and physicality. Here it’s a welcome addition to a play that, for all its cred, can be as stuffy and musty as the house where the action takes place.

Jacob Dresch as Christopher Wren | Photo: Amanda Tipton Photography

Adding to the fun is Rodney Lizcano as the unexpected guest Mr. Paravicini. Wielding an Italian accent that veers into Super Mario territory, Lizcano’s character is one everyone can agree has “suspicious” written all over his face.

Not quite a thriller

Modern audiences expecting a highly suspenseful thriller in Mousetrap may be disappointed. But it should come as little surprise that a British play that originally opened in 1952 won’t have the same punch as, say, The Silence of the Lambs or Wait Until Dark. Mousetrap sticks around as an exemplar of the form that’s as comfortable as an old shoe. And since there’s an understanding among audiences that the killer’s identity should never be revealed, first-timers should be in for a surprise.

In the Arvada Center production, the effort by Collins and the cast to make the most of the characters is a worthy one. Even if it can’t quite make up for the at-times slow pace dictated by the script, it gives some strong actors room to run.

I was particularly impressed by Jacque Wilke as Mollie Ralston — the owner of the Monkswell Manor guest house. While not a well-known face on Colorado stages, Ralston’s impressive as the central figure who’s dealing with 17 things at once while the storm rages and a murder investigation gets underway. As her newish husband Giles, Lance Rasmussen is spot-on as the frumpy Brit rather annoyed by all the goings on.

Also notable is Colton Pratt, a Colorado Springs actor making his Arvada Center debut. As Detective Sergeant Trotter, Pratt nails the character’s incongruities as he conducts his investigation in a manic, unprofessional manner that puts a question mark over his head as well.

Colorado stage stalwarts Emma Messenger and Gareth Saxe don’t have quite as much to work with as Mrs. Boyle as Major Metcalf — although both tease what they can out of these two-dimensional characters. Annie Barbour, who wowed in last season’s Arvada production of Dracula: A Feminist Revenge Fantasy, Really, is similarly constrained with Miss Casewell. While she alludes to a dark past, the script doesn’t offer many opportunities to dig into the character.

Rodney Lizcano as Mr. Paravincini | Photo: Amanda Tipton Photography

The Mousetrap is a fitting opener for a safe 50^th anniversary season that includes Romeo and Juliet, Come From Away and Disney’s Frozen. While it’s no one’s idea of edgy theatre, it still lands in the “must see” category of stage plays worth seeing as part of the canon. This Arvada Center production benefits from a complete package of taut direction, excellent acting and impeccable technical details. It’s also tame enough to take older kids to — the over-10 set, I’d say. And even if it’s a big draggy in spots, the big reveal at the end is worth the price of admission.