The Cat and the Canary Theatre Royal Bath

Guests, bodies and priceless jewels may all mysteriously disappear in a haunted house thriller – it’s expected as part of the genre. But the non-appearance of the star of the show is another matter altogether.

Former Bond girl (The Man with the Golden Gun) Britt Ekland, due to lead a starry cast in this revival of John Willard’s 1921 comedy thriller, was missing at the opening night of The Cat and the Canary at the Theatre Royal Bath.

But this was one mystery easily solved, unlike those within the play.

Despite the doom-laden prophecies of creepy housekeeper Mrs Pleasant – the role Miss Ekland should have played – there was nothing very mysterious about the star’s absence after all. She had merely been taken ill and hopes to return for the rest of the run.

Understudy Bryony Rawle stepped in and the show went on.

A group of relatives gather in a remote mansion for the reading of a will on the stroke of midnight. Outside a storm rages and a clock that has been silent since the deceased’s death 20 years earlier strikes at the appointed hour. You get the picture.

A long dead and very rich relative has left everything to just one heir on condition that he or she is of sound mind – but staying sane for a night in a spooky house with a bunch of disaffected, disinherited relatives proves difficult.

“The evil, the evil is here,” intones Mrs Pleasant as things go bump in the night, secret passages are discovered and madness is never far away.

It’s corny, dated and, in this new adaptation by Carl Grose (co-artistic director of Kneehigh Theatre and author of The Grinning Man musical), every cliché in the haunted house horror genre is paraded to fullest effect.

The audience reacts with gasps and guffaws, and then explodes with delight at the denouement that involves a dizzying number of plot twists, counter plots and surprises.

There’s a terrific ensemble of well-known celebrities who include Mark Jordan (Heartbeat, Emmerdale), Tracy Shaw (Coronation Street) and Marti Webb (Tell Me On A Sunday), and there’s snappy direction by Roy Marsden (detective Adam Dalgliesh in ITV’S PD James series).

Others in the show are Gary Webster (Eastenders, Minder), Ben Nealon (Soldier Soldier), Eric Carte (Johnny English Reborn, Bouquet of Barbed Wire) and Nikki Patel (Coronation Street).

Between them all, and with a mix of obvious enjoyment and spot-on comic timing, they inhabit the Cluedo-like characters and bring new life to a play that has entertained audiences for nigh on a century.

As a former World War I bomber pilot over Germany, Willard understood the effects of fear on the psyche, which he used to great effect in his play.

First it was a Broadway hit, followed by several film versions, including a 1939 film starring Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard, and a 1978 version with Honor Blackman, Edward Fox and Olivia Hussey.

This latest stage production, which marries comedy with horror, will appeal to thriller fans and if you can work out who dunnit by the interval you’re a genius.

The show runs until Saturday (February 29). Call the box office on 01225 448844 or go online at www. theatreroyal.org.uk.