"The Unfriend" by Steven Moffat.

Riverside Drama Company.

Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton.

The third piece of theatre this week that I'd not seen before, so Nottingham's theatres are really giving me an education over the past few days!

While on a cruise ship holiday, Peter and Debbie befriend Elsa: a lusty, Trump-loving widow with an outrageous sense of humour from Denver, USA. They agree to stay in touch – because no one you ever meet while on holiday ever really does, do they?

When Elsa invites herself to stay a few months later, they decide to look her up online. And that's when Peter and Debbie decide to Google her and learn the truth about Elsa Jean Krakowski. Deadly danger has just boarded a flight to London! But how do you protect all that you love from mortal peril without seeming, well, a bit impolite? Because guess who's coming... to murder!

Peter is played by Paul Norris, and I can see a lot of myself in Peter, especially his feelings towards Trump! Peter doesn't like to face situations head on, unless forced to do so by his wife, Debbie. He's a busy, busy man after all, and doesn't need the constant interference from his neighbour. I enjoyed the gradual increase in the eventual "red mist" brought on by the visitor, their sons and the neighbour, to which Paul brought the eruption of Peter's nerves to an eventual climax that brough him to his knees in frustration.

Debbie, Peter's wife, is played by Lizzie Norris. From the opening scene where Debbie has to badger Peter to pack his case, two hours before they are due to disembark their cruise, it's plain to see who was in charge in that relationship. Debbie also did all the digging and planning to try and cancel Elsa's visit, but you know what they say about the best laid plans! Lizzie always seems to get the chemistry with her co-actors on stage just right - and I'm not just talking about the Debbie and Peter thing durr! But there's a great maternal chemistry between Debbie and their two sons, Alex and Rhys, as she bosses them around in a motherly fashion. Lizzie's one of my favourite local actors and the fact that she smashes every role that she embodies proves what a flexible character actor she is.

Elsa is played by Donna Osmond. First thing that hits home for me and ticks the initial box is the accent. A lovely soft drawl that lasts from the very first sentence all the way through to the last. Anyone who doesn't know Donna would not have been able to tell that the accent was put on for the character. I love the way Elsa twists every negative into her being the victim, but just wait until the final scene!

Alex, the first of the two teenage sons we get to see, is played by Billy Stewart. Billy is a new name to me and this is his debut for Riverside Drama Company. Alex is the typical teenager, glued to his games console and rarely venturing out of his bedroom, a picturesque description of said room given by his brother, Rhys near the beginning of the first half. Alex changes throughout the play, thanks to Elsa's advice and understanding friendship, as does Rhys, to a pair of sons every parent would love to have. Billy studied acting for stage and screen at Bristol School of Acting, graduating in 2024. I look forward to see  what he does next in the area, acting wise. It's always great to see an increase locally in male actors, and the lack of male actors means that theatre groups, such as Riverside are always crying out for actors like Billy.

Rhys is played by the award winning Arden-Caspar Jennison, a young man who has been around the local stages for a long time, but this role marks his debut for Riverside. I've always had the greatest respect for this man as he has proven that he can sing, dance, play serious characters and can do comedy in equal amounts of talent and know how. Rhys is another great role, and almost the opposite of Alex as he's a little more shy, slightly reserved with people he doesn't know but, when he comes out of his shell is a lad who is happy to give and receive hugs from his parents, and Elsa. I saw Arden in May in the musical "Anything Goes" and on stage I had to look twice, he looked quite different, visually, but what I love is that Arden is one of those actors who can get away with playing roles years younger than he actually is, which means that his career on the stage will stretch decades into the future. You can never tire of seeing versatile actors like Arden on local stages.

The Neighbour is played by another actor who I always look forward to seeing on stage, Jonathan Greaves. Again, I've seen Jonathan play many roles, each one different to the last, and here is Jonathan in annoying neighbour mode. Last time I compared Jonathan to Greg Davies, this time, in this character, he reminded me so much of the actor Mark Heap, who coincidentally played the annoying neighbour in the comedy "Friday Night Dinner". Jonathan Greaves is a chameleon when it comes to treading the boards. Debbie and Peter's neighbour is always popping round regarding an issue in the garden, and when i saw always, I mean every five minutes or so, adding to the stress already building from Elsa's visit.

The final character in the play is PC Junkin, the police officer who has been appointed to have a chat, or follow up enquiries regarding the death of someone who Elsa had come into contact with the week before joining Debbie and Peter. Robert Osmond plays PC Junkin, which includes a brilliant scene regarding toilet humour and a lavatory brush!

Directed by Liz Turner, assisted by Celia Billau, this is another massive success for Liz and Celia, as well as the rest of the cast. It's pacy with an almost farce like feel to it, and it feels like a real situation, so it's completely believable. This dynamic duo strike gold yet again.

Design by Bob Baron and John Hurley. The set starts off aboard a cruise ship with a video backdrop of the sea, making the deckchairs on the deck very real for the situation. With these and the lifebuoys removed, we go straight into the living room and kitchen of the main house. The stairs, stage right, lead up to a believable set of bedrooms off stage. Probably one of the best sets that I've seen for Riverside because you can believe that you could live in a space like this set.

The Backstage Crew and Prop Wranglers consist of Sandra Read and Alison Lihou. Now, for those like me who had not come across the job title of "Prop Wrangler" this is a specialised assistant in the Art Department who is responsible for managing, maintaining and organizing specific items an actor interacts with on set to ensure they are continuous and stage ready. You learn something every day in the wonderful world of theatre.

Sound is by Anna-Birga Ostendorf and Celia Billau. Appropriate sound effects and sound bites, but what I really liked was the music fillers with the scene changes. Who doesn't love a bit of Johnny Cash to change a scene to?

Lighting is by Dave Martin and John Hurley. Stage lighting for a play is quite different to that of a musical, and Dave has great experience in both genres. Nothing fancy or flashy is needed in a comedy play like this so simplicity is the key where blackouts and fades are concerned, and these proved to be effective when executed. I say simple but it's probably not that simple where timing is concerned and both Dave and John were on the money tonight, as always.

Another excellent cast, a cleverly written story, and having not heard of this play before didn't know where it was leading by the end of the first act, and couldn't wait for the second act to commence to get the rest of the story. Totally enjoyable comedy, appreciated by an almost sold out auditorium, which by the way is gorgeously air conditioned.

"The Unfriend" is at The Duchess Theatre in Long Eaton until Saturday 27 June.