The cast of Rangeley Friends of the Arts production of “The Mousetrap”: Carolyn Smith, Anne Bower Crump, Timmy Straub, Dan Simonds, Rylan Böttger, Stella MacFawn, Raoul Silver, David Silver. (Courtesy of Dave Hathaway)

The theater lights are down. You hear the stillness of the audience, their shuffling feet and occasional coughs, waiting for the show to begin. A pre-recorded greeting, a female voice with a British accent, starts with a warning: “Take note of all Emergency Exits just in case a homicidal maniac comes rampaging through the theater.” The audience giggles in the dark. This is a good sign. The message ends with an invitation to “sit back, watch closely, and see if you can figure out whodunit.”

Thus began Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap” for three sold-out performances at the Rangeley Friends of the Arts Lakeside Theater, on Aug. 15, 16 and 17. The greeting gave way to another recording, this one of a woman screaming, someone whistling the tune of “Three Blind Mice,” gunshots, and loud footsteps running away. Anne Bower Crump walked onto the stage, the lights came up, and the world-renowned whodunit came to life in Rangeley.

The story revolves around a group of strangers snowed in at Monkswell Manor, a newly opened guesthouse. A murder occurs in London, and a detective arrives at the manor, revealing that the killer may be among the guests. As suspicions and accusations fly, the characters’ pasts and secrets are gradually revealed, leading to a shocking revelation of the murderer’s identity.

Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap”, produced by Rangeley Friends of the Arts, came to the Lakeside Theater stage Aug. 15, 16, and 17. In this scene, Christopher Wren, played by Raoul Silver, plays a joke on Mrs. Boyle, played by Carolyn Smith. (Courtesy of Dave Hathaway)

The plot has more holes than Swiss cheese but the story is tightly written and, in this case, crisply delivered. Today’s audiences consume massive amounts of multi-media murder mystery so they come to a production of this sort prepared to perform an autopsy on the murdered corpse. The actors’ task was to play their characters to the hilt, dropping red herrings at every opportunity, and they did. The aim was to elicit a collective gasp from the audience when the killer was ultimately unmasked, and the audience delivered every time.

Joining an ensemble cast is a huge commitment, regardless of the role’s demands. The amount of hours given to practices, all the way through to the final performance, consumes large swaths of what otherwise would have been free time spent with family and friends, or sleeping. And let’s not forget work. The bills don’t pay themselves, after all. Then there’s learning many, many lines of dialogue. Every word delivered by a character matters, especially in a murder-mystery when a lost word might derail an entire plot. Here’s the capper, though; these lines were all delivered with either British accents or, as in Paravicini’s case (played with great relish by David Silver), with an Italianesque intonation.

Anne gave her body and soul to the RFA this summer, performing in every stage production: “Chicago” as Roxie Hart; in “”Diva: Back to the Movies”; telling a personal story at “The Kitchen Table”; as Mollie Ralston in “The Mousetrap”; and singing with the Rangeley Community Chorus at their summer concert. And here’s the thing, each of her performances was perfection. Anne can sing, dance and act, all the while remaining in good humor, fully invested in putting out the best entertainment possible. Anne also taught Youth Drama Camp between gigs in July, sharing her love for theater with 21 children.

Anne’s Mollie Ralston was on stage 85% of the time, delivering a steady supply of clues to the audience and adding dramatic spice to every scene. She was the consummate English wife, in dress and delivery and manners. Only Roxie Hart could have upstaged her.

Rylan Böttger played the main role of “Sgt. Trotter,” a young, brash investigator whose presence continuously stirred the pot until it boiled over. Rylan bridged the cap between playing Trotter with a serious countenance as well as with a playful nod to the ingratiated audience. He commanded the stage like a general who remained calm in the midst of battle.

The doomed Mrs. Boyle was played by the seasoned stage veteran Carolyn Smith. Mrs. Boyle is a less than sympathetic character and Carolyn managed to squeeze laughter out of the audience like a tube of toothpaste you thought was empty. Mrs. Boyle’s dead body lays lifeless on the floor to finish Act 1, but Carolyn’s excellence leaves her presence still alive in Act 2.

Major Metcalf, played by Dan Simonds, doesn’t have many lines but his facial and body language provides more clues than any other character. If you had watched Dan’s subtle and stern reactions then you would have had enough to solve the murder.

Stella MacFawn is another gift to the RFA stage that keeps giving. She danced and sang her way through “Chicago” and “Diva”, and then came aboard “The Mousetrap “two-thirds of the way into production, and what an addition she proved to be. Stella is talented beyond her years. We believed everything her character, Miss Casewell, said, and that counts for a lot in a murder-mystery.

David Silver played the enigmatic “foreigner,” Mr. Paravicini, who showed up at the guest house “out of the blue.” David had great fun stalking the stage and garnering laughs from his every over-the-top delivery. Groucho would have been proud. David was also in “Chicago” and told a story at “The Kitchen Table”. He’s become fast friends with the RFA.

Raoul Silver, David’s son, was a late addition to the cast, dropping everything in NYC where he lives, and attends NYU, to join us in Rangeley for five weeks as Christopher Wren, an eccentric “architect” who is a prominent suspect throughout. Raoul’s empathetic acting made Chris a sympathetic character. We hope Raoul will return to the RFA stage in the near future.

I played Giles Ralston, Mollie’s emasculated wet noodle of a husband, and gave him about as many accents as Baskin Robbins has flavors, and not on purpose. Objectively, I believe I performed better as the director than as an actor, but it was decidedly easier to direct such a talented cast.

Val Zapolsky, set designer, created the world, Justin Orazi lit it, Millie Hoekstra managed it, Rowenna Hathaway added sound effects and props, Mary Boothby Brown dressed the characters and the stage, Diane Bellington promoted and recorded every production this summer, and too many to name helped behind the scenes to bring the arts to life.

Whodunit? The RFA, that’s who. And, thus, another summer season comes to a rewarding conclusion. Take a bow, everyone!