Over the past few months local audiences have had the opportunity of seeing excellent revivals of classic works by playwrights who went out of fashion with the arrival of Osborne et al.

Coward and Rattigan have been swept back into favour with productions at Chichester and in Brighton. Now it is the turn of Daphne Du Maurier to be reassessed.

September Tide is an interesting curiosity which once again provides a glimpse at a world long past and the changing morals of those times. Set in 1948, with the country settling down after the war but still having to contend with the shortage of luxury goods such as whisky, it tells a story of love and repression of feelings.

Stella Martyn, widowed and living alone, awaits the arrival of her newly-wed daughter, Cherry, and her artist husband, Evan. They represent the post-war generation with modern views regarding marriage, and differing moral standards to those previously held.

There is an instant attraction between Stella and her son-in-law and much of the play is an exploration of their feelings and the conflict between heart and head.

Of the principal performances the men provide the strongest. Edward Baker-Duly is totally convincing as Evan and his transition from glib and cynical man to the tender and caring lover is convincing.

David Griffin, as the neighbour Robert, captures perfectly the bewilderment of a man from the "old school" suddenly confronted with a changing world.

While Kate O'Mara gives a performance which for the most part is quite sensitive, there are times when the sensitivity is lost to melodrama.

It is interesting to note that the play was written at a time when the playwright was attracted to her publisher, Ellen Doubleday.

When her feelings were not reciprocated, Du Maurier wrote this play about their relationship. She used the character of Evan as a substitute for herself and through him she was able to express her love for Ellen.