This is a rather light-weight comic confection, pre-second-world-war and pre-Osborne, and therefore not revived nearly as often as some of his other work, but it is nonetheless a taught and well-written play, and most importantly still very funny when performed with conviction.

The play deals with a group of men and women who are idling away their days in a villa on the west coast of France, taking French lessons in preparation for entry into the diplomatic services. In their midst is one Diana Lake, pert and blonde and pretty, a woman who, through her ability to look fetching in a bikini, has a magnetic hold over all the men at the villa (though it's never quite clear whether she's there for lessons too). This is something of a blow for Jacqueline the – supposedly dowdy, but actually quite handsome – daughter of the curmudgeonly French tutor, who is attracted to Kit. Unfortunately he only has eyes for Diana – he refers to Jacqueline as 'Jack' and jokes that she's just like one of the guys to him.

Paul Miller's production plods along initially, taking a while to get going, but it really sparks to life in the second half, when it becomes clear that Diana has been lavishing her attentions on more than one of their number and the men make a pact to resist her advances in future. There are some brilliantly executed comic episodes, some truly hilarious moments that the cast really hurl themselves into.

Ben Mansfield, making his professional stage debut, is brilliant as would-be writer Alan – the scenes in which Diana tells him he is the true object of her affection, and he almost doubles-up in terror, are superbly performed. As the Commander, a blustery English archetype with a good heart, Adam James also excels. Hannah Yelland is sympathetic as the lovelorn Jacqueline, but she, like Jenna Harrison who plays the predatory Diana, are stymied somewhat by the play's dated view of women. They are very much the enemy, creatures to be feared.

Though it does show its age in this respect, in others the play feels fresh and energetic. The later comic scenes of the men together, tipsy and terrified, feverishly plotting the best ways they can stay out of Diana's clutches, are entertaining and very well constructed. Rattigan's delightful comedy was well worth reviving in this respect and ETT have approached it in the best possible way.

The production is midway through a regional tour. I caught it at Richmond, a theatre I hadn't visited in a long while. Luckily there was a classic Richmond audience in to make the experience complete. Two elderly ladies a couple of rows behind me were having a good old catch-up chat that continued well in to the first act, they seemed almost surprised there was a play in progress, and there was the usual scattering of near-fatal-sounding coughing spasms too, seemingly planned, as these things are, to coincide with the very quietest on-stage episodes.

Despite this the cast did a brilliant job of making the audience connect with the characters' plights and by the end of the evening the sound of laughter was the only noise emanating from the stalls.

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from the archive Rope Dr Marigold And Mr Chops 2009: The London Theatre Top 10 FEATURE