Review: Veronica’s Room, by Ira Levin, for the Classic Thriller Season at Nottingham Theatre Royal

There’s a dark turn in the third installment of the Classic Thriller Season in Nottingham this week.

Ira Levin’s Veronica’s Room, which is at the Theatre Royal until Saturday, is a true psychological thriller with enough twists and turns to keep the audience in suspense from the start until the very end.

It all starts innocently enough - as they all do - when a newly-dating couple, Susan and Larry - played by Hannah Blaikie and David Osmond - agree to do a favour for the McKays, played by Susan Earnshaw and Jeremy Lloyd Thomas.

The McKays are housekeepers of the Brabisant mansion and Susan - a young Boston college student - looks just like Veronica, who used to live at the house.

They persuade Susan to impersonate the dead Veronica, to solace their employer, who is living in the past and believes Veronica to be alive and angry with her.

But once back at the eerie house and dressed in Veronica’s clothes, things are not quite what they seem as events take a surprising turn of events.

To say more would be in danger of revealing spoilers.

It is fair to say, however, that what happens in that house is the stuff of nightmares and the result is an engrossing thriller that keeps the audience hooked.

The Classic Thriller Season closes next week with a production of Karoline Leach’s The Mysterious Mr Love, which runs from Tuesday to Saturday.