The only surprise deaths at a March 3 reading of scenes from Agatha Christie’s 1952 whodunnit play The Mousetrap were, thankfully, fictional.

But there was still shock among the audience members who came to Meadowridge Library’s community room to hear the reading put on by cast members of Edgewood University’s production of the play, which will have its final performance dates this weekend. The reading was part of a month-long series of events at Meadowridge to commemorate 50 years since the death of Christie, the British maven of murder mysteries whose literary works continue to be adapted — see the 2023 film A Haunting in Venice — or riffed upon, à la Rian Johnson’s twisty Knives Out film series.

Christie, born in 1890, wrote 66 detective novels throughout her 85-year lifespan. She remains the most-translated author in the world.

“She's called the ‘Queen of Mystery.’ I believe she's the most published fiction author in the world,” says Jan Levine Thal, who is directing Edgewood’s production of The Mousetrap. (Christie is neck-and-neck with William Shakespeare for the most sales of any author. Both are behind only the Bible for total sales.)

You could say Levine Thal is somewhat of a superfan. She has read all of Christie’s 66 detective novels — as well as the six non-mystery novels Christie published under pen name Mary Westmacott — and each of the author’s plays. It is her third time directing a production of The Mousetrap.

Audience members at Meadowridge were treated to readings of several scenes from The Mousetrap, performed by eight members of the cast. The scene is a wintery lodge, whose residents realize there is a murderer among them. There’s an element of secrecy to the play: audience members, since the first 1952 showing in London, are instructed not to reveal the ending. In discussing technical design for one crucial murder scene, Levine Thal instructs Isthmus not to mention the death of a certain character.

“I don't want people to know that it's going to happen ‘til it happens,” says Levine Thal.

Audience members at Edgewood’s production have been filling out cards to vote for whom they believe the murderer is. Those cards have provoked some amused reactions among the cast.

“It's really funny seeing all the cast's reaction of, ‘Oh, I won this night!’” Kylie Rodriguez, playing the caustic old woman Mrs. Boyle, told the audience during a question-and-answer session after the reading.

One audience member asked cast members why they think Christie and The Mousetrap have remained popular for so long.

The cast’s answers: the secrecy around the show, the need for repeat viewings to fully understand its often duplicitous characters, and the satisfaction of solving a whodunnit.

“I feel like everybody loves a murder mystery,” said Katyann Rodriguez, who plays the vaguely Italian braggart Mr. Paravicini.

It was coincidental that Edgewood’s production lined up with Meadowridge’s plan for a series of events commemorating Christie, community engagement librarian Rosemary Medrano says. Christie’s is the second “literature celebration” series Meadowridge has put on. In fall, a series celebrating The Great Gatsby was held.

“We do so many social services and programs, but kind of wanted to get back to the basics and celebrate classic literature,” says Medrano. “I'm a big fan of museums, and the British Museum is doing a big exhibit on [Christie]. That's how I got the idea of doing the 50-year anniversary of her passing and celebration of her life.”

The events are a Meadowridge-specific initiative — the Christie series is in part funded by the Madison Public Library Foundation and the Friends of Meadowridge Library. Medrano says there’s no single Christie aficionado organizing it, though she’s checked in with one superfan librarian from time to time to bounce ideas around.

There are events you might expect, like a book club reading of Murder on the Orient Express and accompanying film screening, as well as some more unconventional, such as a murder mystery escape room based on the 1953 A Pocketful of Rye and a “tween mystery party” where adolescents are assigned characters and tasked with solving a mystery.

The library even modified its monthly cooking lesson, led by “Chef Angela” Morgan of Food Junkies Catering, to have a Christie twist.

“She is going to be doing a Sunday roast, which is a very English traditional meal they have on Sundays. Usually a big pot roast and some vegetables on the side,” says Medrano.

The full list of events is below. Registration is required for some events:

• Miss Marple's Mystery Escape Room, March 7, 12-4 p.m.
• It's a Mystery!: Agatha Christie Inspired Puzzles and Challenges, March 7, 12-4 p.m.
• Tween Mystery Party, March 14, 1 p.m. (youth only)
• Cooking with Chef Angela: Agatha Christie's England, March 21, 1 p.m.
• Meadowridge Book Club - Murder On The Orient Express, March 24, 1 p.m.
• Conversations about Agatha Christie, March 27, 11 a.m.
• Murder on the Orient Express Movie Screening, March 27, 1 p.m.

Tickets for Edgewood University’s production of The Mousetrap, with showings at 7:30 p.m. March 5-6 and 2 p.m. March 7, are available here.