in Arts at in St Martin's Theatre

3 Oct 2002 - 15 Dec 2012; not Sun

The country house murder mystery by Agatha Christie marches into another exhilarating year. Not knowing that it would become the longest-running play in the world ever, Dame Agatha whimsically gave the revenues to her grandson! He must be a millionaire a few times over.

It opened (right next door at the Ambassadors Theatre) on 25 November 1952, and stayed there for 21 years, before transferring to sister-theatre the St Martin's Theatre on 25 March 1974. By then it had been the world's longest running show for an impressive 16 years, and it is scarcely credible that any other show will ever challenge it. And in all that time there has been only one change of set - in 2000 - the new set built exactly to the original designs. It has already been at the St Martin's Theatre for over 30 years, and promises to stay around for a good many years to come.

And of course audiences are specifically asked not to let the cat out of the bag (sorry to mix the animal references) about who is the murderer. It could be the best kept secret in the theatre world!

The show will turn 60 on 25 November 2012, with celebrations around the world seeing 60 new productions across all continents and, for the first time ever, a UK tour.

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