Roald Dahl's Twisted Tales *** TNT

These five tales within a double framing device range from creepy to gruesome as a stranger entertains his fellow 1950’s commuters with his sinister stories. Some are more successful than others – it’s soon obvious that a taxidermist landlady has no intention of providing bed or breakfast for her guest, that the dentist husband of an adulterous wife has also been having a bit on the side, and that a viciously sadistic public schoolboy is likely to get his comeuppance.

But adapter Jeremy Dyson and director Polly Findlay really ratchet up the tension when an American tourist bets his little finger against the Cadillac staked by a cleaver-wielding gambler, and there’s a certain satisfaction watching the wife of a cancer-ridden philosopher taking posthumous revenge on the remains of her controlling spouse.

Lyric Hammersmith, King Street, W6 0QL (0871 221 1726) lyric.co.uk Tube: Hammersmith Until 26th February £10 - £25