This play, by Robert Thomas, was very nearly snapped up to be filmed by Alfred Hitchcock, and one can see why he would have been drawn to it. Without giving away too much, the story, set in the exotic Alps, is in the mould of a classic 1950’s noir thriller, and concerns the disappearance (and subsequent reappearance) of the titular Man’s wife. In the best thriller tradition, however, not all is as it, or they, appear to be…

A description one could equally apply to Peter J Smith’s production, as, expecting a straight Whodunit, I was pleasantly surprised by the humour running through the play, and the cast made the most of this comedy to good effect.

Notable performances were from Stuart Glossop, on stage for virtually the whole play as The Man, who acquitted himself more than capably; a strong Pete Griffiths as the world-weary Inspector; and some delicious scene theft from Andy Scott’s Tramp. There was good support from the rest of the cast too, although, and I hate to be churlish, I did find one costume choice in particular to be jarringly modern and at odds with the superb set and period feel.

The suspense of the piece was maintained well, and the many plot twists were skilfully handled by all; it was a shame therefore that there were a few too many prompts on the night I attended, which makes me wonder if the production could have done with just one week more in rehearsal, as at times the play felt a little tentative in parts.

That said, I was gripped by the story, and was kept guessing right to the very end, which is a testament to both the play itself and to the players. It would be a crime to miss it.