Terence Rattigan, once the darling of the West End until the arrival of John Osborne and the other angry young men in the mid-Fifties, fell out of favour with audiences and critics.

His work was considered dated and only suitable for those legendary maiden aunts who must not be shocked.

This play, set in the early-Seventies, shows just how wrong those critics were and continues the welcome revival of interest in the playwrights work.

It reconfirms his talent and masterly craftsmanship.

Like so many of his great plays, the themes of pretence and concealment of emotion are central to the storyline.

Sebastian Cruttwell is a fashionable left-wing literary critic, whose profession is clearly established as you enter the theatre and view the set. There are vast banks of floor-to-ceiling, book-lined shelves that dominate his lounge and underscore his character - he is selfish and uncaring.

His wife Lydia, an Estonian refugee who he rescued at the end of the war, is devoted to him, although she is treated almost as a servant.

She has learnt that she is terminally ill and is determined she will spare her husband and son, Joey, the knowledge of this.

Her only confidante is an old friend, Mark.

As the play unfolds, secrets are revealed - not only from the past, but from the present.

Despite its theme of illness, the play is gloriously funny and beautifully performed by its four actors.

As the uncaring husband, who realises too late that he actually loves the wife from this marriage of convenience, Michael Thomas excels.

Suzanne Burden is a joy to watch, with a superb performance that captures the mercurial temperament of Lydia.

When he was writing this play, Rattigan himself was terminally ill - and like his heroine, he was keeping this fact hidden.

Until Sunday, July 8. Call 01243 781312 for more information and tickets.