'THERE'S s a gentleman living here. He’s got a birthday today and he’s forgotten all about it. So we’re going to remind him. We’re going to give him a party.’

It sounds like fun but it’s soon clear that The Birthday Party by Harold Pinter, at Theatre Royal Winchester on Tuesday and Wednesday, is a comedy with a sinister edge.

Set in a shabby boarding house in a small English seaside town, Pinter’s first big success opens with an elderly couple taking care of a solitary guest, who rarely ventures out. The arrival of two enigmatic strangers seems to offer a welcome distraction from their mundane existence.

When the seemingly innocent birthday party abruptly turns into a deadly game of cat and mouse, there are horrifying repercussions.

Tickets from theatreroyalwinchester.co.uk or on 01962 840 440.