Photo Flash: VERONICA'S ROOM At Melville Theatre

A SPINE-tingling thriller about a family's secret will soon be exposed at Melville Theatre, exploring the thin line between fantasy, reality and madness.

Written by Ira Levin (best known for his best-selling horror novel Rosemary's Baby) and directed by Georgina Kling, Veronica's Room has a sense of looming danger, suspense and unexpected twists.

Students Susan and Larry find themselves as guests enticed to an Irish couple's mansion, after they claim Susan bears a striking resemblance to their deceased ward Veronica.

They persuade Susan to impersonate Veronica to solace the dead girl's sister, now elderly and senile.

But once the door closes, Susan begins to feels she may have erred in her decision.

"Having seen the script brought to life on the stage many years ago, I've never forgotten the chills I got when the play finished," the currently-pregnant Kling said.

"I bought the script last year and re-read it, only to enjoy it even more.

"There are so many twists and turns you don't see coming so the play constantly keeps the audience thinking.

"Even once the show's over, you leave thinking 'What just happened?' and 'Who was that?'

"I love that sense of getting an audience thinking and talking about different theories, long after the play has ended."

On stage since she was young, Kling took a break for 16 years to focus on school and university but then threw herself back into the theatre world, embracing acting, directing, choreography, costumes and other behind-the-scenes work.

After moving to Perth from London four years ago, she came across an audition at Melville Theatre for Under The Blue Sky, which she appeared in, and directed Cash on Delivery last year.

"The toughest challenge with Veronica's Room is drawing the audience in and making them believe," Kling said.

"The cast is fantastic and each time I watch them I get goose bumps, so I hope the audience gets the same feeling."

Veronica's Room plays at 8pm July 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19 and 20 with a 2pm matinee on July 14. Tickets are $20, $15 concession - book on 9330 4565 or at www.meltheco.org.au. Melville Theatre is at 393A Canning Highway (corner of Stock Road), Palmyra.

To post a comment, you must register and login.