The last play in the Alan Ayckbourn trilogy, Damsels In Distress, was a darker tragi-comedy than the first two.

And yet, like the others, Ayckbourn managed to squeeze a fair bit of laughter out of what was a nightmare situation.

The scenario was a dinner party where lovers Justin Lazenby and Julie-Ann Johnson gathered their respective families in order to announce their engagement.

The couple had been living together for six months but Julie-Ann announced she wanted to return to her flat and refrain from sleeping together for the next 12 weeks.

This was proclaimed before the party began and poor Justin was understandably taken aback.

He was further shocked when he was told he had to call her Julie-Ann instead of Julie when her parents arrived. He then witnessed her hysteria as sheprepared for the meeting.

So far, so good but the nightmare really began when a young girl crashed into the apartment fleeing from a brutal boyfriend and was joined by thug, Mickey, who worked for her boyfriend as a minder.

But in Ayckbourn's carefully crafted thriller, the worst was still to come.

Julie-Ann's parents - dull, boring and doting on their little "apple" - got the wrong end of the stick in every respect. So, when Justin's mother turned up drunk, things were confused even further.

Ayckbourn extracted the most from this utterly mind-bending situation and we were left to witness the supper party from hell, which had some surprising moments and a shock ending.

Once again, the writer brilliantly took the audience on a roller-coaster of emotions and his seven-strong ensemble cast gave their all.

The direction was taut, the choreography smooth and sure and the comedy arose mainly from the characters Ayckbourn created. We could recognise them distinctly as people we all know or, indeed, are.

This trilogy has shown that Ayckbourn is back on form and brilliantly poking fun at us, our rituals and judgements.

The only shame about the three plays has been the rather sparse audiences they have attracted.

I seriously enjoyed every moment and feel those who saw them had a splendid visit to the theatre.