Murder is in the air at Devonshire Park throughout June, courtesy of Brighton-based theatre company Talking Scarlet.

The company is currently performing modern-day thriller Playing Dead at the venue, which will be followed by performances of Patrick Hamilton’s period classic Rope, which is set in the 1940s, and the twists and turns of 1980s-set thriller Dangerous Obsession, about an unwelcome visitor to a married couple’s expensive home.

All three are performed by the same cast in a revival of the rep theatre, which used to be seen up and down the country.

“It has been suggested, the way things are going at the moment, theatres are turning back to rep as an effective way of putting on plays,” says director Patric Kearns.

“We will be rehearsing during the day and performing at night – it’s a way of doing more drama without necessarily spending more money. The actors get 12 weeks’ work, but do three or four different plays, which stops an element of boredom setting in.”

Kearns performed Rope in rep 11 years ago with Ben Roddy, who stars in this new production.

“We were the two murderers and we both loved it,” says Kearns.

“We had talked about doing it again on numerous occasions. Ben is very friendly with Chris Jordan [artistic director of Eastbourne Theatres], who suggested doing three thrillers, so we jumped at the opportunity of doing Rope again.”

The original play, which was penned by Brighton-based Hamilton in 1929, was inspired by a real-life murder case from 1924. University students Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb kidnapped and murdered the 14-year-old son of a Chicago millionaire in an attempt to commit the perfect crime.

The opening scenes see two friends hide the body of a murdered fellow student in a chest, which they then use to rest drinks on during a party.

“Being based on a true story gives the play an added flavour,” says Kearns. “Part of the initial attraction of this play was that it was about something that had caught the public imagination of the time.

“The two characters murder their fellow student out of a feeling of superiority – they consider themselves to be intellectually superior to the victim, that they can do it and get away with it.

“It’s an interesting theme to explore, even in today’s society. I do think it must exist in some sections of society – not to the point where people would commit murder, but you do come across intellectual snobbery in the theatre.”

Certainly it could be argued that the bankers and dealers who brought about the credit crunch regarded themselves as intellectually superior – ignoring the future effects of their actions.

The tension in the play comes when the students’ equally intelligent friend Rupert Cadell arrives at the party, and begins to suspect something is amiss.

“It’s interesting to see from the audience point of view who they side with. Cadell is unravelling the truth but the way the play is written, and the way we play it, the audience won’t be sure which way they want it to go.”

* Playing Dead is at Devonshire Park Theatre today and tomorrow, while Dangerous Obsession concludes the season from Tuesday, June 19, to Saturday, June 23. Times/tickets as below

* Rope starts 7.45pm, 2.30pm matinees Wednesday and Saturday, tickets from £13.50. Call 01323 412000.