“THE MOUSETRAP” PRODUCTION

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28261, 26 April 1957, Page 2

“THE MOUSETRAP” PRODUCTION

Brigid Lenihan To Star

Brigid Lenihan, of Christchurch, who in the last five years, has built a reputation on the British professional stage as one of the finest actresses that New Zealand has produced, will be back on the stage .in Christchurch this year.

She has been chosen for the star female lead in the Agatha Christie thriller, “The Mousetrap,” which will be the New Zealand Players next production. “The Mousetrap,” which is the first mystery to be produced by the New Zealand Players, will begin its New Zealand tour early in July. Miss Lenihan, a member of a well-known Christchurch family, has not been in. New Zealand since 1951, when she toured the country with the British Commonwealth Theatre Company. She impressed Christchurch audiences with her

chilling portrayal of the stepdaughter in the Pirandello play. “Six Characters in Search of an Author.” It was in this role that Sir Laurence and Lady Olivier first saw her in a special performance in the Little Theatre at Canterbury University College, when Sir Laurence Olivier commented that Miss Lenihan, then only 17, “obviously had star qualities.” Recommendation On his recommendation Miss Lenihan went to England early in 1949 after touring Australia and New Zealand with the Canterbury College Drama Society's production of “Othello,” in which she took the part of Desdemona. According to Miss Lenihan, who recently returned to New Zealand and is now living in Christchurch, it was the early guidance, training and influence of the wellknown Christchurch author and producer, Ngaio Marsh, which laid the foundation for the stage successes she gained in the next five years in England. After her tour of Australia and New Zealand in 1951 with the British Commonwealth 'Theatre Company, she returned to England, where she played at the Marlow Theatre, Canterbury, in a number of productions. N.Z. Audiences New Zealand audiences provided a most stimulating reaction by comparison with some in England, said Miss Lenihan. She expects to be with the Players for about a year. Her only regret is that she will miss the facilities for performing on television in New Zealand, a medium in which she had extensive experience in the later part of her stay in Britain. Miss Lenihan, who will be making her first appearance with the Ngw Zealand Players in “The Mousetrap,” said that rehearsals would begin in Wellington next month.