"The Nightmare Room" by Tabs Productions.
Nottingham Theatre Royal.

Based on a short story by Arthur Conan Doyle, this is one cracker of a play to bring the Colin McIntyre Classic Thriller Season to a close.

Two women. One Locked room. One bottle of poison.Plenty of twists.

Right from the off, you're drawn in to the production by the stark white room, almost like a sterilised hospital room, dare I say an asylum. There is one table, two chairs, a water decanter, two glasses and a phial of poison, and only one person gets out alive.

Why are they there? There's another person involved but what is the connection in this pairing? All is not as it first appears and the twists in this play come as a real surprise!

Sarah Wynne Kordas and Angie Smith play the two women and they put in an incredibly pensive and tension packed performance. The action includes flashbacks which show how they ended up in the locked room. The flashbacks are presented in a very effective way which helps you realise what is happening thanks to blackouts and sound effects.

I don't know Angie, but i do know Sarah and I saw a different side to her acting tonight. I wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of her after seeing this play!

These two actors keep you right on the edge, and for just two actors to be able to keep you so enthralled is not only an acknowledgement to the wonderful adaptation of the play and the original story, but to the incredible acting skills of Sarah and Angie.

The stark design which gives the sterile environment feel, taking nothing from the two women's performances but adding so much to the atmosphere of the almost crazed and manic twists of the women's actions. But remember, not everyone in this room gets out alive, which makes these twists even more interesting and unexpected.

It's a thriller which oozes class throughout, From the stylised staging and design (John Goodrum) who also directed this edge of the seat piece of theatre, to the power dressing - costumes Geoff Gilder, to the lights and sound effects - and you'll see just why the sound is so important in this play when you see it!

A thriller in the true sense of the word and an amazing end to the 2018 Thriller Season.

"The Nightmare Room" is at the Nottingham Theatre Royal until Saturday 25 August 2018. Don't have sleepless nights about getting tickets for this brilliant production,,, get your tickets NOW!