Director Stella Dench, who first produced The Chalk Garden 28 years ago in the same theatre, ensures a triumphant revival at Seaford this week.

She brings the best out of a talented cast who capture the comedy and pathos in Enid Bagnold's wordy script.

And she shrewdly casts 20-year-old Stephanie King as Laurel, a troubled girl of 16 who likes screaming, making bonfires and lying.

There are also excellent performances from Tricia Pape, as Laurel's acerbic grandmother Mrs St Maughan, Roland Boorman, making a comeback in the role of manservant Maitland, and Sue Shephard as new governess Miss Madrigal.

Bagnold's desire to project English eccentricity provides glorious parts for all nine actors, but he does not maintain the delightful idiosyncrasies shown in the first act by Maitland and Laurel.

The reason is that Laurel, damaged by her father’s death and her mother’s remarriage, and Maitland, affected by a spell in prison, benefit from the calming influence of the mysterious Miss Madrigal.

The governess's talents extend to restoring the chalk garden of the Sussex manor house.

Shephard is convincing without having the same impact as Boorman, King and Pape.

Sylvia Aston and Sandra Haynes give superb cameos as applicants for the job of governess, while other fine support is provided by Gini Comyns (negligent mother Olivia), John Hamilton (The Judge) and Angela Chabot (Nurse).