A theatre critic gets more than a taste of his own medicine from someone who has been savaged by his stinging reviews in Who Killer “Agatha” Christie?

Fortunately, there is little for this critic to find fault with in Tudor Gates’s excellent thriller.

Arthur “Agatha” Christie is on the receiving end after meeting a mysterious stranger – bitter playwright John Terry.

Neil Roberts (Christie) and Stephen Rashbrook (Terry) give superb performances to make this the most gripping psychological two-handed drama since Sleuth.

Roberts is utterly convincing, as the critic’s initial arrogance gives way to shock and then snivelling fear, while Rashbrook makes a wonderful sardonic bully, using deception and macabre humour.

Director Andrew Lynford builds up the tension with the help of Steve Chambers’s sound effects, providing the off-stage voices of Terry’s wife and Christie’s gay lover having a romp.

The plot is far-fetched but Roberts and Rashbrook ensure it maintains credibility – and Roberts’s reaction when he thinks his throat has been slit is top-quality acting.

This intriguing Ian Dickens’ production, which borrows the name of one of our greatest thriller writers on the 35th anniversary of Agatha Christie’s death, deserved a far bigger first night audience.

* 7.45pm (May 24-28) and 2.30pm (May 25&28), from £13.50. Call 01323 421000