AUDIENCES in Malvern have a chance to be thrilled by a production written by one of the town's residents this week.

The Fetch Theatre Company is reviving its 2004 production of The Masque of the Red Death - Edgar Allan Poe's gothic masterpiece re-written by Malvern's Alex Jones.

It is retold in a dynamic, spine-tingling way using puppets, masks and a unique style of physical theatre.

Instead of Poe's plague-ravaged city, the action is switched to a drugs-threatened, rural market town with the masked ball transformed into a grotesque rave.

Seated inside a bizarre fairground, the audience is spun from scene to scene on a rollercoaster ride into the sinister world of the Master of Ceremonies, Prospero, and his house of fun.

Hilarious, sad, beautiful and shocking, and with a powerful contemporary soundtrack, the show blows out of the water any idea that 'puppetry is for kids', giving young people and adults a gripping theatrical experience that tackles challenging material head-on.

Performances of The Masque of the Red Death take place at Malvern Youth Centre and free tickets are available for the public performance on Thursday, March 23 at 7.30pm. The show is suitable for ages 14 years and over.