Review: The Mysterious Mr Love, by Karoline Leach, at Nottingham Theatre Royal

The curtain is coming down on the latest Classic Thriller Season in Nottingham - and what a finale is served up.

The Mysterious Mr Love, written by Karoline Leach, is being staged at the Theatre Royal until Saturday.

Not as dark as last week’s Veronica’s Room, it nevertheless is a gripping tale of love and betrayal - with a few light-hearted moments thrown in for good measure.

As with most of the Classic Thriller Season productions, nothing is what it seems and just as you think you know where the play in heading, it twists in a different direction entirely.

The Mr Love of the title is aging conman George, who ‘marries’ naive women before robbing them of their money and making his escape.

He casually tells us this within minutes of the play’s opening.

His next selected victim is Adelaide, a London milliner who lives with her parents and has just inherited £50 from her aunt - perfect.

And she soon falls for his charms as his well-practised con works a treat.

But, as in all the good thrillers, things soon take a turn (or two).

The Mysterious Mr Love only features two actors - John Goodrum and Sarah Wynne Kordas - who are excellent in the parts in what is a very demanding script - the smooth liar Mr Love and the innocent, damaged victim Adelaide.

It may be the end for this year but fear not, the Classic Thriller Season will return again next year. After all, it just would not be summer without it.