PHEW! What a torrid tale. Fatal Excuses begins with a furtive one-night stand towards the end of the Second World War.

The fateful consequences escalate into an apocalyptic mayhem that involves torture, abduction, betrayal, suicide, violent incest, mutilation, the cruellest of twists of fate, and a body count to make Patricia Cornwell green with envy.

This is a play that dices with the risk of becoming overwrought, and yet it never crosses the line into absurdity. That’s because the writing and construction, along with the ability to evoke menace, are skilled enough to keep you on the edge of your seat, constantly wondering what is going to happen next.

The team of young actors from the Fifth Dimension Theatre Company, in their first full-scale production, all do a good job, with Rachel Chambers particularly compelling as the tormented young woman at the crux of the melodramatics.

As a thriller, albeit a rather heartless one, Fatal Excuses works effectively. Its main value, though, is as a showcase for the very considerable joint talents of writer-director Darrell Jackson, also part of the acting team, and composer Michael Gore, whose original music weaves its way through the play like a film score. The fusion of nuanced music and drama works a treat as a storytelling device, fully justifying Mr Jackson’s claim that it adds a “fifth dimension” to the drama.

Anyone interested in expanding the possibilities of theatre should catch the chance to see Fatal Excuses, but there is a price to pay for the focus on experimentation. The play’s most obvious flaw comes from any lack of sympathy or even apparent interest in its characters.

Fatal Excuses, Palace Theatre, Westcliff (Dixon Studio), 7.30pm until tomorrow, 01702 351135.