Suddenly At Home, Shelley Theatre, Boscombe

THE third in this season of four thrillers from the London Repertory Players is quite possibly the most enjoyable yet.

The play was written in 1971 by Francis Durbridge, who created the sleuth Paul Temple and turned out a huge number of thrillers for radio, screen, stage and print during an incredible 65-year career.

This production moves the play’s setting to the 1980s, with the music of Madonna played over the scene changes. But you couldn’t update it much further, because this is a story in which landlines, phone boxes and road maps are part of the intricate plot.

Mark Spalding plays Glen Howard, an unfaithful husband who – like so many unfaithful husbands in thrillers – decides to plan the perfect murder rather than get involved with divorce solicitors.

His scheme will not only dispense with Maggie (Claire Fisher) but also handily pin the blame on her ex-lover (Al Wadlan). It all seems brilliantly conceived until a surprise which happens right before the Act One curtain.

Suddenly At Home is a beautifully constructed thriller, but it also has hints of farce, drawing laughs and gasps from the audience as Howard tries to adapt his plan on the hoof when things go awry. The production benefits from perfect timing by the cast, with much of the second act resting on Kirsty Cox as the murder victim’s sister, who starts to query Howard’s version of events.

You may spend the interval guessing where the plot is going, but it’s unlikely you’ll get it right. It’s almost certain, however, that you’ll have a good time.

Suddenly At Home runs until Tuesday, giving way to the last of the season – Dead Guilty by Richard Harris – on Thursday August 23.