by Peter Gordon

19 - 28 April 2012

A country house. Assembled guests. A dark and stormy night. A murder. The police are called. Enter Inspector Pratt - and from there on it is a glorious spoof of every Agatha Christie murder mystery you ever saw. The bumbling cop pursues clues and points fingers in every direction while never quite seeing the obvious, or nailing the culprit. It is not so much a question of whether Pratt will get his man before someone else gets the chop as whether he will make an arrest before the audience dies of laughter. Like Clouseau? You’ll love Pratt.

By arrangement with Edward Snape for Fiery Angel Limited

John Buchan and Alfred Hitchcock's

The 39 Steps

Adapted by Patrick Barlow. From an original concept by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon

22 - 31 March 2012

This is a theatrical tour de force. Richard Hannay, handsome, soldierly, lantern-jawed, pipe-smoking Englishman befriends a lonely woman who is later stabbed in his flat. She was mixed up with a team of foreign spies, which leads Hannay to Scotland, all the time evading the police who want him for the woman’s murder. Taking the Flying Scotsman, he has to cling to the train as it passes over the Forth Bridge and later crosses the moors with avenging spies in pursuit. Finding refuge with a crofter, he is helped to escape by the crofter’s wife before finding himself handcuffed to a girl he met on the train. He stays overnight in a small hotel with her – while remaining the perfect gentleman, of course – and then meets the master spy and finally brings the whole evil network to book in a triumphant finale. All this on stage as costumes, props, sets, lighting, sound and characters appear and re appear in a dazzling display of quick changes. Huge fun.

by Oscar Wilde

16 - 25 February 2012

A classic. Always concerned with the manners of the upper classes, Wilde takes us into the world of politics and questions of honour among the people who govern. Sir Robert Chiltern is a junior minister in the government of the day: rich, influential and a pillar of the late Victorian establishment, destined for the highest office. Into his life comes the mysterious Mrs Cheveley, a woman with shadowy contacts among the highest echelons of power in Europe. She brings with her a fatally damaging secret which she uses to compromise Chiltern’s position in government and in society – a possibility which shocks Chiltern’s wife and risks her loyalty. In unfolding this dilemma, Wilde mixes bleak morality with his usual garnish of wit and observation, making this a thoroughly entertaining excursion into the elegant drawing rooms of high society in late 19th century London.

by Christopher Hampton

12 - 21 January 2012

When a chap meets his girl friend to end their relationship in a civilised, considered, amicable way, he hardly expects her new lover to be part of the discussion., But that is what happens when Dave calls on Ann to explain his part of the break-up. The unexpected arrival of the new man, Patrick, rouses Dave to mild violence but fisticuffs are avoided when the situation is defused by Ann. The two men then begin to discuss the lady, much to her annoyance, and the three of them engage is a series of arguments and recriminations which end with one of the men asking Ann to marry him. Which one? Does she accept? The answers will be revealed by seeing this intriguing and clever play by one of Britain’s most inventive playwrights.

by Anthony Marriott & Bob Grant

24 November - 3 December 2011

From the title alone, you might guess this is farce. And you would be right – improbable, absurd, beyond belief and very, very funny. It concerns The Major, whose wife has run off with another man, leaving him with a house be cannot afford. To maximise his asset, he lets out the basement – twice. Once to Jill, who uses is only at the weekend: and Philip, who uses it only on weekdays. It works well until both tenants change their routines, leaving the Major scrambling to maintain the status quote by changing wardrobes, beds, drawers, dresses, suits, soft toys etc, etc according to which tenant turns up next. Daft? Yes. Implausible? Of course. An undemanding evening of laughter? Definitely.