11:46pm Monday 15th March 2010
By Kat Dibbits
Tyldesley Little Theatre
Trap For A Lonely Man
Until March 20
A MISSING wife, a suspicious imposter and a man pushed to the brink of insanity - the ingredients of Tyldesley Little Theatre's latest production have all the hallmarks of the tensest of thrillers.
When Daniel Corban's new wife vanishes just days after the couple arrive at a chalet in the French Alps, the police fear the worst. When a woman claiming to be Mrs Corban appears it seems their fears are unfounded - but when Daniel claims he has never met the woman before the stage is set for a twisty plot that keeps the audience guessing until the very last moment.
Some of the plot devices are a little contrived, requiring a bulldozer attitude to push through, and first night nerves stopped the cast carrying them off as confidently as they otherwise might.
Nevertheless the six-strong cast certainly won the audience's approval. Alex Clarke stood out as the police inspector whose apparent faith in Corban’s version of events keeps the poor man hoping until the very end, while Joyce Elder is suitably scheming as the so-called “Mrs Corban”.
Ian Taylor is grave as the priest who seeks to reunite the couple, while Ken Berry adds a touch of comedy as the tramp and Kaye Taylor has a small but important role as the nurse who, having seen the real Mrs Corban when she was sick, could shed some light on the whole matter.
Glenn Robinson, who directed the play, could benefit from toning his performance down a little – James Stewart in Vertigo should spring to mind, rather than his occasionally cartoonish Daniel Corban – but as a last-minute stand-in he manages admirably.
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