A GRIPPING multi-layered drama unfolded on the stage of Salisbury Playhouse for the opening night of Murder in the Dark. 

The moment the curtain rose, a sense of intrigue and expectancy greeted the audience.

A shabby old-fashioned and unwelcoming interior view of a cabin came into view. Dusty, unwelcoming and out of touch with time, an already-dysfunctional family are trapped following a car accident.

Isolated from any contact with the outside world, the ghostly, phsycholigcal thriller begins. 

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Danny (Tom Chambers) perhaps best known for playing Inspector Sullivan in Father Brown and Sam Strachan in Holby City and Casuality is a former pop star now down on his luck. He appears to have lost everything but his dependency on alcohol. His need for a drink makes him lash out at those who should be the closest to him. 

Susie Blake (Mrs Bateman) who starred in Mrs Brown's Boys and The Real Marigold Hotel plays a complex character who puts up her unexpected guests. She's kind, but strange and unreadable.  

Deep-rooted issues becomes apparent and gnaws away at the bonds of unity. There is a sense of abandoment and anger as ex wife Rebecca (Rebecca Charles), their son Jake (Jonny Green) and brother William (Owen Oakeshott) appear to struggle with their emotions. 

Then, there's Sarah (Laura White) who plays Danny's somewhat petulant girlfriend. 

This is a story of darkness and light. It is a story about family betrayal and loss. 

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Cleverly laced with humour, beneath the surface, anger seeps through. Then there are the ghostly manifestations, the sense of deja-vu, the eerie nursery rhyme ringing out in the dark and the presence of a large dog prowling around the cabin. 

The family are trapped together and it is a ticking time-bomb with things that go bump in the night. 

Murder in the Dark was written by Torben Betts and directed by Philip Franks and is available until Saturday, October 7 and is one hour and 50 minutes of professional story-telling. It is well-worth a visit to Salisbury Playhouse but the suggested age for the play is 14 and over. 

To book a ticket, go to the wiltshirecreative.co.uk