The Pillowman - Theatre Royal

Victoria Pembroke, pictured right, who lives in Lyneham, plays the role of the mother but has vowed to keep the plot firmly under wraps to ensure the audience remains engrossed.

The Pillowman is set in a totalitarian regime where police interrogate a writer after his gruesome unpublished short stories come true.

Pembroke said: "I play a number of mothers but it is very difficult to say who, without giving away essential parts of the plot.

"It's an exciting play to be involved with and it's the twists and surprises that make it so exciting.

"The Pillowman is very theatrical and uses all the tricks of the theatre which makes it a whole different experience to going to the cinema or watching television.

"It's a comedy, a horror and also a thriller and writer Martin McDonagh is excellent at using twists in the plot and the unexpected to keep the audience rivetted."

The Pillowman was first performed in November 2003 at the Cottesloe Theatre in London when Pembroke starred alongside Jim Broadbent.

It won the 2004 Olivier Award for Best New Play and is now in the middle of a seven-stop tour of the country.

The Pillowman tells the story of the writer Katurian (Lee Ingleby), a part-time abattoir worker who is interrogated following copycat crimes of his horrific unpublished short stories.

The play is billed as a violent compelling thriller targeting a young audience. Martin McDonagh is often described as the Quentin Tarantino of the stage.

Mrs Pembroke said: "It's not the naturalistic type of acting that is required normally but quite different. It's not so much about creating a natural play but creating ideas and images.

"When you see the play you will understand. I want it to be a surprise for the audience."

Pembroke moved to Lyneham from London two years ago with husband and fellow actor Luis Soto to start a family.

Matt Wilkinson

The Pillowman

Theatre Royal, Bath

Tuesday 8 until Saturday 12 February