Twists and turns made for good entertainment

Trap for a Lonely Man stands in the repertory tradition: a thriller shrouded in mystery, a tortuous plot and a dam good twist at the end. While admitting that I found the script heavy going, the Compton Players, as always, provided good entertainment which appeared to keep the audience in appreciative concentration.

Set in the 1960’s the action takes place in a chalet in the mountains in Chamonix where a man, distraught at the disappearance of his wife, is faced with another woman who claims to be his wife but he insists she is an imposter. Throw in a dodgy priest, the obligatory police inspector and a tramp no less, and you have the recipe for a thriller.

In the leading role, Scott Hulme gave a solid and well-rehearsed performance although perhaps his inexperience prevented him from fully realising the complexities and range of emotions of his character. As the wife (or imposter), Tracey Brett gave an understated but skilful and effective portrayal which left us wondering what was really going on behind her character. Ian Hickling as the police inspector brought another low key but quite charismatic feel to his role and Dave Hawkins as the priest was completely convincing both in his virtuous mode and in the vicious side to his character.

On Saturday night, producer Eric Saxton played the part of the tramp (Mike Long played the part on other nights). This small role was superbly played and he injected much humour and class into the proceedings. To cap it all, Eileen McCarthy turned up as the “bent” nurse. Again, another effective cameo role. As is so often the case with thrillers, it takes a while to establish the plot and there were a few sticky moments with the script; however, the twists and turns kept he audience guessing right to the end and provided good entertainment value.

TREVOR DOBSON