Opening at the historic Iao Theater on Friday, Maui OnStage’s production of Agatha Christie’s classic mystery “The Mousetrap” is going to be “really fun whether you know the ending or not,” said director Kristi Scott.

Inspired by an actual criminal case, the legendary murder mystery unfolds in 1950s England. Newly married Mollie and Giles Ralston are preparing to welcome their first guests to Monkswell Manor when a sudden snowstorm traps everyone inside. As suspicions mount, it becomes clear a murderer is in their midst, and the guests must unravel the killer’s identity before it’s too late.

“I am a fan of cozy murder mysteries,” said Scott. “I’m a fan of Agatha Christie, and there’s something really fun about directing a murder mystery where you plant clues and hope that the audience sees them and they see your red herrings. So it’s like creating a puzzle or having a puzzle come to life. This is actually the third time I’ve directed it.”

Christie’s classic drama began as a radio play commissioned by the BBC as a present to commemorate the 80th birthday of Queen Mary, the wife of Britain’s King George V. When the BBC asked the queen what she would like, expecting maybe Shakespeare or an opera, she requested a new play by Christie.

The resulting “Three Blind Mice” was subsequently adapted for the stage and renamed “The Mousetrap” as a reference to the play-within-a-play performed in Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.” Debuting in London’s West End in 1952, with legendary actor Richard Attenborough in the leading role of Detective Sergeant Trotter, critics were immediately warned to keep the “whodunnit” secret.

In her memoir, “An Autobiography,” Christie thought it would only run for eight months and gave the rights to her 9-year-old grandson. It became the world’s longest-running play.

The Maui cast includes John Williams as the investigating policeman, Isadora Drew and Elijah Goldberg as the manor owners, Sebastian Navarro as Christopher Wren, Samantha Maxwell as Mrs. Boyle, Will Makozack as retired British military officer Major Metcalf, Jamie Nicole Wilcox as Miss Casewell, and Daniel Vicars as the mysterious guest Mr. Paravicini.

With a British setting, the actors are brushing up on their English accents. “We’re working on it,” said Scott. “We have a dialect coach, so hopefully they’ll get it.”

The actors are enjoying their roles, said Scott, “because all the characters are really fun and different. In their own minds, they want to trick the audience or guide the audience to the final scene, and hopefully everyone goes, ‘Oh, I never saw that coming.’ They are doing their part for that.”

For those who may know the identity of the murderer, “the people who’ve seen it don’t care because they love the show,” said Scott. “Every time you watch it, you see new things that you might have missed the last time you saw it, where it actually does lead you to what you’re looking for. I think it’s going to be really fun, whether you know the ending or not. There are bits of humor in it, and I like to bring out the humor, especially in the beginning, to increase the tension at the end.”

“The Mousetrap” opens at the historic Iao Theater at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Performances are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Friday matinees at 3 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. The production runs through April 12. Tickets range from $10 to $45 at MauiOnStage.com.