Double Platinum Jubilees

Published on: 23rd June 2022

It was June 2, 2022 in London, England and I invited myself to celebrate 70 years on the job for two very famous ladies. One, the Queen of England, Her Majesty Elizabeth II, who as Time Out London wrote, “has been on the throne so long her bum hurts.” The other was for Agatha Christie, the Queen of Crime Fiction who, although dead, celebrates the world’s longest running play, The Mousetrap, also going strong at 70 years. That particular Thursday would see my attempt to witness the Trooping of the Color and later, an evening at the theater to see what all the fuss was about. I had to wonder: how is it these two old dames still enthrall the multitudes?

Celebrity is part of it. Each woman has a unique mystique. One was inherited through a long line of Kings and Queens going back to the murderous Plantagenets a thousand years ago, her crown practically an accident of birth and circumstance. The other was a self-made woman who staked her claim in the early days of detective fiction writing but whose success is responsible in large part for manifesting the genre’s own Golden Age. Mrs. Christie’s books have sold more copies than the Bible.

Still, it must be more than ubiquity and longevity that draw us to these figures. 

That morning, I set out late from lower Chelsea to secure a spot in St. James Park intent on viewing the pomp and circumstance for which the British are so rightly famed. Apparently everyone else in the Home Counties and beyond had that plan. I didn’t give up easily. Several hours passed as I tried to penetrate the hordes. I retreated to the river. I tried again. I failed. I concluded that a drink at Rules, London’s oldest restaurant, was my compensation.

My morning glass of Rosé consumed, I descended South Hampton Street, intent on a cheap pub lunch. As I carefully looked left, right, then left again to traverse the Strand, I noticed people looking up, right there in the street. Above us, it began with helicopters and continued with various historic Royal Air Force planes like Spitfires and Hurricanes, until there were modern jets flying in a “70” formation. Finally supersonic streams of red, white and blue filled the skies as the flyover sped across the firmament towards Her Majesty’s Palace. It was utter joy to all who watched. A woman next to me said ‘Isn’t it wonderful?” I gushed forth “You’re so lucky. In my country the only person who unites us is Dolly Parton.” That moment I started to understand why the Queen is so very important. It’s been said a million times that she unites the country. But you have to personally feel it to understand. Later in the week would come my real prise de conscience when I watched the Saturday night concert in front of Buckingham Palace on television from my hotel. From rap to ballet, opera to pop, everyone was included. Duran Duran sang Girls on Film as drag queens walked the runway and a rainbow was projected onto Buckingham Palace. As I watched the happy crowds packing the mall, I couldn’t recall a more uplifting event. When Michelle Obama gave her video tribute, I cried.

But back to the evening of June 2, at St. Martin’s Theater, I sat in the third row for the 28,690th performance of The Mousetrap. Beforehand, I looked at photos of the Queen and Prince Philip attending the 50th anniversary performance. The Queen Mother was shown in 1961 at the 45th anniversary. High praise indeed, but what about the play?

The play’s the thing, of course. And this one is so very special, because it possesses a characteristic unique amongst her work; it’s a comedy. Oh, all the signature dramatic Christie elements are in place. A country house gathering of characters. A London murder announced via radio. Guests arrive and a blizzard traps everyone together. A mysterious stranger appears and he’s, gasp, foreign! You will find many traits from her books within this delightful entertainment, but the actors are free to make us giggle. The script is full of very contemporary double entendres. The live staging creates a freedom to exaggerate in a way not seen in televised versions of Poirot or Marple.  And most importantly, Christie does what every genius writer does; she makes us think we are smart, while still keeping us in the dark. The fact that the performance was staged with a racially mixed cast only proves the timelessness of the work. We easily accept a racially integrated 1930s Britain.

Much as Queen Elizabeth has seen her country change for the better since ascending to the Crown, Christie’s work remains relevant within this new world. It’s clear both Queen and play are adaptable and delightful. I say, go see both if you can.

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Suzanne Meyers

Instagram: @iamsuzannem or @3.6.9.magic