THE INNOCENTS The Nonentities, Rose Theatre, Kidderminster, until Saturday.

From the archive, first published Wednesday 8th Feb 2006.

THEY don't make 'em like this anymore!

Forget The Sixth Sense, this is a proper ghost story - although there's not really a killer twist in the tale.

The audience is left to make up its own mind at the climax of this ambiguous study of innocence and evil, adapted by William Archibald from Henry James' novel The Turn of the Screw.

But with the dark and freezing winter nights well and truly here an evening losing yourself in The Nonentities' latest play, set in a spooky Victorian England house, proves time well spent this week.

There are no easy answers to the questions posed but the play's appeal lies in the aplomb with which it is tackled by the amateur group.

The set is first class and each cast member well-suited to their role; Julie Innes portraying inexperienced governess' Miss Giddens' gradual descent into hysterics, and eventual steely resolve, with conviction while Elaine Foster was excellent as Mrs Grose.

And the younger cast members were the icing on the cake; Faye Halliday tackled her role as Flora with gleeful confidence and Chris Lewis' Miles was appropriately sinister.

The use of lighting, incidental music, sound effects - and I'm sure there was also a strange rumbling underneath my seat from time to time - really cranked up the tension at the right moments.

Are the ghosts real? Do the children know more than they're letting on? Is Miss Giddens going potty? At the end of the day I had no idea - make up your own mind. AMD

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