"Perhaps someone is trying to get rid of us all one by one. Perhaps whoever it is is just playing with us, watching us, waiting to pounce".

A classic whodunnit, a la Agatha Christie, you might think, but Curtain Up On Murder ends with a twist so utterly unexpected that Hebden Bridge Little Theatre offered a prize for correctly identifying the killer.

Directed by Alan Stockhill, Bettine Manktelow's densely plotted play within a play about an amateur dramatic group in a creepy end-of-pier theatre (a fine set) had atmosphere and kept the audience on the edge of their seats.

Director Martin Chris Berry, a dead ringer for Alexander Armstrong, showed great comic timing. Hannah Stowe was unassumingly hilarious as Moppet and the adulterous relationship between Martin's wife haughty Sylvia (Justine Geraghty) and Alex (David Gumming) was well observed.

John Sunderland was sinister and funny as stand-in caretaker Harry and Sharon Kelly was authoritative.

This hugely enjoyable production continues until Saturday.

Julia Anderson