Topical or not, Talking Scarlet are brave to take on a weighty subject to open their summer triptych of thrillers.

On a positive note, while clues as to where Nicky and Jack met are dropped throughout and you think you’re working out what happened, it’s not until the last scene that the unexpected truth is revealed.

But Brian Clemens’s play suffers for twists and turns of plot and characters which are absolutely incredible. No spoilers though.

The soundtrack was more fitting of a gothic spoof and no substitute for dramatic tension. It also clashed with the bland semi-suburban living-room set, static throughout the play.

The prospect of the devil at midnight had a stranglehold but the atmosphere was flat and heavy; something needed to let rip and create more oomph on stage, perhaps difficult when the actors must have known their characters wouldn’t behave like this in real life. No criticism of them; they all made the best of it.