What do timeshare holidays, office politics and murder have in common? And what do they all have to do with Shakespeare’s Macbeth?

The answer can be found in Barnet playwright Terry Rogers’ latest offering, Timeshare, performed by The Garden Suburb Theatre (GST) in Highgate next week, as part of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Open Stages project for regional and amateur theatre groups.

“It’s about falling out with your best friends when you go on holiday together,“ explains Terry, who is a magistrate in the City and lives in High Barnet.

“Malcolm and Judy join their friends Simon and Vicky at their timeshare complex on the Costa del Sol. The two men work together and they’re both going for the same job – of course, only one of them will get it. Duncan, their boss – the first connection with Macbeth – will make his decision while they’re on holiday.“

The plot in Terry’s black comedy has lots of mishaps as hidden anxieties and old wounds begin to surface, and as they are increasingly drawn into the story of the strange couple in the next-door apartment – the Macbeths.

“The idea of the holiday came before the links with Macbeth,“ says Terry. “I love Shakespeare, and the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth is mirrored in that of one of the couples. There’s also a barbecue that turns into the banquet scene.“

Terry, 67, took the play to Edinburgh in 2009 with his own company, where it ‘went brilliantly’ – The Scotsman gave it ‘four stars going on five’. He has been a member of GST since the 1970s, writing pantomimes and full-length musicals for them.

“Timeshare is good fun, and for kids it’s great because it’s a good introduction to Shakespeare,“ Terry says.

“And there’s a twist in the tale that, so far, no-one has been able to see coming.“

  • Timeshare is at Upstairs at the Gatehouse, Hampstead Lane, Highgate Village from Thursday, November 29 to Saturday, December 1 at 8pm and on Sunday, December 2 at 4pm. Details: 020 8340 3488, www.upstairsatthegatehouse.com, www.gardensuburbtheatre.org.uk