Enjoy two plays for the price of one at The New Venture Theatre in Brighton this week, with a dynamic double bill combining the wit and repartee of Noel Coward and the comic genius of Alan Ayckbourn.

The common theme at the heart of opening play Between Mouthfuls, written by Ayckbourn in the mid-Seventies, and Noel Coward's Still Life which follows, is relationships - more specifically, the hot and timeless topic of infidelity.

Between Mouthfuls, originally part of five interlinked one act plays called Confusions, but equally engaging in its own right, was chosen by 18 year-old Chris Nunn for his directorial debut.

The play focusses on the revealing restaurant conversations between two couples - both in failing relationships - experienced through the ears and eyes of a deadpan waiter who flits between the two tables, piecing together frangments of their dialogue.

On one table are a middle-aged couple, bossy, bickering and business-like.

On the other table are a slightly younger pair, distanced and uninterested in each other.

Ayckbourn's portrayal of his characters and their predicaments are guaranteed to provoke plenty of bellylaughs from the audience but, as is to be expected, an acute sense of irony gives the play its edge. Prepare yourself for a shocking denouement.

During the interval, the modern restaurant is transformed into Milford Junction tearoom, the old-fashioned setting for the second play.

Better known as Brief Encounter, the classic film it later became, Still Life is the original story of doomed love between hapless housewife Laura Jesson and a handsome stranger who tempts her away from an unhappy marriage.

Set against the backdrop of Thirties morality, the play was designed to shock and it is still relevant today, according to director Alex McQuillen Wright.

"What do we think of affairs now?" she says. "Is there a difference if the people having them are married or not? Is there still a stigma?

"Whatever your views, Coward's characters are utterly believable, so we connect fully with their predicament."

Forget Coward's trademark cigarellos and sophisticated drawing room banter. With Still Life the playwright created something quite different.

The play, part of Tonight At 8.30, a collection of nine short plays, features very real and rather mundane characters. "It is that ordinariness which makes their desires and behavior so recognisable," says Alex. "We connect with them more readily because they could be any one of us."

Meanwhile secondary characters Myrtle, the tearoom proprietress, and ticket inspector Albert Godby make for an amusing diversion.

"Alongside all the middle-class angst," says Alex, "we must not forget that Coward is never very far away from a few perfectly placed bon mots.

"Myrtle and Albert provide the play's balance with a light hearted touch and some classic Coward lines."

There is a healthy dose of nostalgia, too.

"I hope the audience will enjoy being transported back to when trains ran on time, refreshment rooms were inviting and you could get a shot of brandy for the equivalent of four pence - just so long as it was in licencing hours," says Alex.

Starts 7.45pm (Sun mat 2.30pm, no show Sun or Mon eves) tickets cost £6-£8.50. Call 01273 746118.