"The Mantrap" by Robert Thomas, translated by Sean Aita.

Tabs Productions

Nottingham theatre Royal.

And just as soon as it arrived, it's reached the final part of this year's Colin McIntyre's Classic Thriller Season, with the thrilling "The Mantrap".

This play is the premiere production of the original play -"Piège pour un homme seul" or "A Trap For A Lonely Man" written by Robert Thomas, sixty six years ago. It was supposed to have been made into a film by Alfred Hitchcock but Hitchcock died before he had the chance to make it. Sean Aita has updated and relocated the basic story to a remote holiday set in Cornwall, but where there is still decent mobile phone reception and has renamed it "The Mantrap".

After an argument at their remote Cornish holiday cottage, Daniel Edwards’ wife, Lizzie, has gone missing. But when she apparently returns, he’s convinced he’s never seen the woman before in his life. Is he suffering from amnesia or is she a fraudster?

Pavan Maru is The Man, aka Daniel Edwards. We first see Edwards in a dark living room, illuminated only by the light of his mobile phone. He's all on edge, worried about his missing wife, who we later discover may be pregnant. As you can imagine, away from everyone they know, his wife missing in a place that is far away from the next neighbour, where neither of them knows anyone, or the area, he is out of his mind with worry, so he calls the local police to report her missing, sending a photo of his wife by email, but after ten days, the Inspector and the local Cornish constabulary are no further finding her as they were after Edwards' initial call.

The Inspector, with a lovely rich Cornish accent, is played by John Goodrum. Throughout the play he feels that Mrs Edwards may have been kidnapped, or even murdered, but why? Suddenly, with the supposed reappearance of Mrs Edwards, he is slowly coming around to the idea that maybe what Elizabeth Edwards is saying, that Daniel is losing his marbles, and with overwhelming evidence that she is who she says she is, the Inspector starts to shift his suspicions.

The Woman, Lizzie, is played by Sarah Wynne Kordas, making this season three out of three plays Sarah has appeared in. Lizzie has been missing for ten days and despite the police's best efforts, remain unfound. Is she missing, or does she not want to be found at this stage? What we do discover though is that she is due to inherit a large amount of money from an elderly Uncle who lives in Paris. Is this inheritance an explanation for her disappearance, or is there something more sinister about Lizzie being missing?

Susan Earnshaw plays the role of Reverand Susan Green and when the Reverand poles up with Lizzie, it seems that the mystery has been solved, as Lizzie had been staying with Rev Green, but this reappearance only adds to the confusion, because Daniel seems to know not this woman who says that she is his wife, despite the evidence stating otherwise. He starts to suspect that maybe the Reverand may not even be who she says she is. Is this paranoia, or is he really as mentally unstable as Mrs Edwards says that he is?

The Visitor, who turns up unannounced, is played by Juliette Strobel, and claims to have met Lizzie in London, and says that she can confirm or deny whether Lizzie is, or isn't who she says that she is. Nat, the hippie, wacky baccy smoking visitor has, literally crashed the party with Ludwig, her van, and that's when the twists really start and Lizzie's real identity starts to be under suspicion, so something, or someone has to go.....

As usual, before the truth is revealed and the plot explained, there are many more twists to come in this finale to what has been another brilliant and thrilling season for Tabs.

Directed by Karen Henson, the mistress of the twisty, turny reveals, keep everyone guessing right to the very ending. With this play being a completely new one, there's absolutely no way that you could work out the ending, and even though I managed to, at some stages, to work out little bits and bobs, I still didn't guess right fully. The pace is excellent, as it always is with Karen in the Director's chair, and that sense of danger and mystery really did keep you, white knuckle on the edge of your seat.

The set is designed by Conal Walsh, who also is the Lighting Designer, creating a thunderous storm of tension and jumpiness. The set, as it always is, is perfection, and looked the ideal place for a quiet Cornish getaway home, the hue being a lovely maritime turquoise, blending spectacularly with the dark blue of the night sky, split only by the dramatic lightning flashes and rolling thunderclaps.

Duncan Hands is the Production Manager.

Deputy Stage Manager is Fran Gardiner.

It goes without saying that the whole cast are fantastic, especially having that ability to evoke such uneasy feelings about these characters and the storyline of their chosen plays throughout the season.

"The Mantrap" is at the Nottingham Theatre Royal until Saturday 29 August. What a way to close the season with something new, but now we have to wait a whole year for the next edition of my favourite murder/mystery thriller performers.