There are many possible ways to react after discovering that your partner has cheated on you with your best friend, but very few are as extreme as the situation that greets the audience at the opening of The Nightmare Room – a contemporary thriller by John Goodrum, based on Arthur Conan Doyle’s mystery chiller.
In a stark, brilliant white, room there are two chairs, one table, two glasses, a jug of water and a small bottle of poison. There is also a woman, blindfolded and tied to one of the chairs – overlooked by her kidnapper and potential killer, the cheated wife.
With the help of a series of flashbacks, each heralded by a change in lighting and a very loud crash, we learn that the two women have actually been the very best of friends since childhood, but have reached this terrifying predicament after one of them has been discovered having an affair with the other’s, film star, husband.
Although the back story flashbacks are vital to see how the relationship between the women has developed over the years, the frequency of the time and location changes (sometimes just a few seconds apart) combined with the excessive volume of the crash and the brilliance of the lighting, does begin to irritate after a while.
With so little in the way of scenery, and a cast of just two actors, the emphasis has to be on the story and, in the hands of these two consummate professionals, it is delivered brilliantly well. Changing personalities and shifting dynamics create a whole host of twists and turns which combine to leave the audience guessing right up until the final, dramatic scene.
Sarah Wynne Kordas as the cheated wife and wealthy property developer Catherine is the perfect counterpoint to Angie Smith’s portrayal of the apparently meek and mild secretary and mistress of Catherine’s husband Michael (voiced by Director and Designer John Goodrum). Both women navigate the twists and turns in the piece with skill and work well together to really ramp up the tension in act two.
It is always very difficult to review a thriller like this without giving away too many of the crucial details that make the piece as good as it is but, if you want a really good edge-of-the-seat thriller, performed by two superb actors, head over to the Nightmare Room – just go careful who you take with you!
**** Four Stars