THEATRE REVIEW: The Department of Distractions at Sheffield Studio Theatre

IMAGINE you're on a bus and you see a woman sitting across from you - with tears in her eyes - ripping up a letter which revealed that her partner has had an affair with her mother.

It's a memorable story, and you might chat to your partner, your friends and your work colleagues about what you saw.

It might occupy your mind for a few days, but after that, the memory would fade as begin to concentrate on more mundane matters.

But what if the woman was actually an actress, placed there by a secret Government department, whose job it was to distract the public and try to control the narrative?

It sounds like something out a George Orwell novel, or maybe a project that Kim Jong Un would be proud of.

But it's actually the premise of the latest production by Third Angel, The Department of Distractions.

It's the department's job to provide distractions from everyday life - talking points - which could be anything from a single glove left in the street to a story which might capture the media's attention for a few days.

Lockhart (Nick Chambers) heads up a mysterious department staffed by Paladin (Umar Butt), Freya (Rachael Walton) and newcomer Daphne (Stacey Sampson).

It's a wonderfully experimental production - the kind Third Angel have become well-known for - which puts everyday characters in a situation you would hopefully never find outside some sort of strange, dystopian society.

Butt portrays Paladin as a down-to-earth, everyday kind of worker whose slightly dishevelled appearance masks an underlying sharpness and wit.

He strikes up a close relationship with Daphne, the newcomer, who impresses on her first day in the job - but might not be all that she seems.

It's an accomplished performance by Sampson, who never puts a foot wrong despite having to switch to another role during a flashback scene.

Chambers, as Lockhart, is especially good when imparting wisdom to Daphne about the importance of their work and Walton, as Freya, ocassionally injects some dry wit into the proceedings.

There's some clever lighting design by Katharine Williams which creates the appearance of time progressing through the working day and clever music and sound design by Heather Fenoughty which cannot be overlooked.