Slick mix of twists and tricks

The question was always going to be one of whether, on a second viewing, Anthony Shaffer's satirical thriller on fictional amateur detectives would stand up to close inspection. The piece is so elaborately tricked out in stylish theatrical fraud that knowing the twists of the plot beforehand might deprive its audience of the surprises and, therefore, of the dramatic tension. The answer to the question is, unfortunately, that it does not stand up to dramatic scrutiny by those who have previously seen either a staging or the film version.

But the last professional staging to be seen in Dublin was almost a generation ago (a very good production in the Olympia with T.P. McKenna and Donal Donnelly), so it is likely that there is now a generation of younger theatre-goers for whom the twists and tricks will provide surprises, the jokey script will provide the laughs and the plot will hold its tension.

The Mobil Touring Theatre production (which is in Dublin only until Saturday night), directed by Peter Wilson in Andrew Leigh's richly elaborate but architecturally unpersuasive design, will do the trick nicely enough.

As the superior author of novels about St John Lord Meridew, the amateur sleuth who always manages to outwit the plodding constabulary, Peter Bowles's characterisation of Andrew Wyke is appropriately mannered and bullying. Michael Maloney is Milo Tindle, who might want to wed the spendthrift Marguerite, Wyke's errant wife, and when the two men settle down to play parlour games with one another an unsuspecting audience will readily be reeled into the action.

Last night's performance could have done with a mite more pace to keep the reel taut, but it was generally faithful to the point and purpose of Mr Shaffer's elegant and very clever play.