A theatre group from Thame is set for to perform a stage adaptation of a classic black comedy.

Thame Players will begin performing their latest production, an interpretation of the 1955 Ealing Studios film The Ladykillers, next week.

The show will be performed at the Players Theatre in Thame from Tuesday, July 9, to Saturday, July 13.

It charts the activities of Professor Marcus and his gang of robbers who pose as amateur musicians to rent rooms from Mrs Wilberforce, an eccentric widow, whilst planning a heist.

Mrs Wilberforce lives alone with her parrot, General Gordon, in a subsiding and lopsided house built over the entrance to a railway tunnel at Kings Cross, London.

The gang attempts to involve the sweet-natured widow, unwittingly, in their criminal pursuits, putting her life in danger.

The police are stumped but Mrs Wilberforce becomes wise to their plans and Marcus concludes there is only one way to keep the old lady quiet.

The original film was a popular crime-comedy, boasting the talents of actors such as Alec Guinness and Peter Sellers.

Thame Players' stage adaptation is directed by Sue Deaney and Colleen Tudway, and is based on the version penned by Irish comedy writer Graham Linehan, famed for sitcoms like Father Ted and The IT Crowd.

The Ladykillers premiered at the Liverpool Playhouse in 2011 before moving to the Gielgud Theatre in London, starring Peter Capaldi.