Upstream, Lymington Players, Malt Hall Theatre, Lymington Community Centre.

A HOLIDAY for two couples in a four-berth cabin cruiser on the River Orb turns into an adventure involving a mysterious stranger and his girlfriend. Having quickly disposed of the obvious comic situation of arriving late, in the dark, to locate the cruiser, author Alan Ayckbourn gets into the storyline.

The audience quite rightly applauded as the curtains parted to show a fine set that was capable of also demonstrating movements of the cruiser. Combined with clever lighting effects, it was easy to mark the passage of time and a variety of locations.

The ensemble piece that required the actors to make the characterisations believable was well-directed by Liz Watson, and the action was not hampered by lack of free stage space.

Daniel Saunders achieved just the right plausibility for his ultimately menacing character. Chris Tibble was believably self-centred while Michael Fielding stretched the notion of subservience to its limit. The female characters (Francesca Farrow, Maggie Thoyts, Petra Maguire and Amy Basil) were all convincing in their roles.

Runs until November 16- well worth a visit.