"Whistle And I'll Come To You" by Rumpus Theatre Company.

Nottingham Theatre Royal

I've had the pleasure of seeing this play before, many years ago, and it certainly leaves you a trifle uneasy. Written by M R James, the stage play is a reworking of the Edwardian ghost story, originally called "Oh Whistle And I'll Come To You My Lad". This production has been adapted by Mille Henson and has reversed the main role from male to female, which I think works really well as it gives a more vulnerable feel to the story. It's also been brought up to date with the inclusion of mobiles and text messages being sent, and shown on the back drop. A very different version to the one that I had seen previously all those years' ago.

Professor Parkin is in need of a bit of a break from the everyday rigours of her life at college. Pensive and tired, she travels to an old favourite destination for rambling, maybe a spot of golf thrown in, and chooses an off‐season British seaside town. While rambling in an old graveyard, she finds an old whistle made of bone with a strange inscription upon it, which she picks up and keeps. She goes back to her room, cleans it up and blows down it. In no time at all the winds get up, the rain starts and she sees something strange happening on the beach!

She has a few days of not sleeping and having "night terrors", including one night when she is definitely not alone in her room! We then slowly discover the back story which has affected her and her family, and slowly, in our minds, things start to make sense of what is happening. What does happen, I'll not reveal and leave you to see this brilliant, but creepy tale. All I will say is, be ready for some jumpy moments!

Fans of the Colin McIntyre Thriller Season will recognise the two actors in this play. Susan Earnshaw and John Goodrum.

Susan plays Professor Jessica Parkin and John plays everyone else, or as it says in the programme, Professor Rogers etc.

Directed by Karen Henson, she has left some lovely longer than normal pauses in this play which really ramps up the tension and feeling of unease.

Helping with the uneasiness is the lighting, which at times can only be described as shadowy, and the sound design, by David Gilbrook, which like in any good horror or thriller film hypes your senses up to expect that "jump reaction". David also designed the video playback you see on the back drop of the stage.

A simple set, designed by John Goodrum, consisting of two chairs and two beds with swathes of black material onto which the various settings were brought to life by use of lighting, i.e. when the Colonel and Jess were playing golf, there was a green hue, the bar section and terrace were well lit to give the feeling of a bar room. With only two people on stage the use of the audio back drop created this effect of a busy drinking area.

The play also used the voice talents of Mille Henson and David Gilbrook for when Jessica was on the phone in conversation with other unseen family members.

At only 45 minutes per act, this flies by and there is no lengthy run up to the uneasy moments. Plus, I had forgotten just how Act One ended and that made me jump! Oh and I loved the incidental music used as well.

"Whistle And I'll Come To You" is at the Nottingham Theatre Royal until Saturday 14 May.