RUMOUR has it an award winning Thurrock-based theatre group are busy preparing their next production.

Well, those Rumours are true. The Thurrock Courts Players – fresh from their appearance at the Edinburgh festival – are staging American play Rumours in October.

Written by comedy playwright Neil Simon, the Courts Players are performing the modern farce about the lengths upper-class folk will go to in a bid to avoid scandal.

Ken and Chris, one of four couples in the production, played by Trevor Povey and Karen Reeves, are the first to rock up at a tenth wedding anniversary party, only to discover that one of the hosts, Charley, has been shot in the head.

They are joined by Len and Claire, played by Wayne Prince and Lisa Chapman, who have just been involved in a car accident, then Harley Street psychoanalyst Ernest and his wife Cookie – who suffers back spasms – played by Michael Mcfarlane and Pauline Crowhurst.

The party is finally completed by Dean Rands and Victoria Grayling, who play Glenn and Cassie, a couple whose relationship is on a knife edge.

Farcical scenes ensue as Ken and Chris spin webs of lies to conceal the truth. There’s back-biting, nonsense-talking, eaves-dropping and, of course, rumour.

This intriguing production, which contains some strong language, will be performed at the Thameside Theatre, in Grays, from Thursday, October 10, to Saturday, October 12.

Evening performances start at 7.45pm and are priced at £10 for adults and £8 for concessions.

A Saturday matinee will be staged at 3.45pm, with all tickets for that performance priced at £5.

Tickets can be ordered via www.thurrockcourtsplayers.co.uk or through the theatre box office 0845 3005264.