Private Lives - Altrincham Little Theatre

LOVE hurts, the old saying goes.

But for couples like Amanda and Elyot, it should come with a Government health warning.

So, what fun ensues when the couple, whose marriage was a study in volatility and who are now divorced, find themselves on honeymoon together, in a swanky French hotel, with new partners.

But the spark that brought them together in the first place s very much still there. As are there rows, which erupt over things most trivial.

It’s hard to believe this play first premiered in 1930 for, in the hands of director Malcolm Cooper and a cast dripping with the same amount of comic talent it remains fresh, vibrant and invigorating.. The pace is absolutely perfect and Amanda and Elyot play their big scene quite brilliantly. I won’t spoil it for anyone who hasn’t seen this well crafted piece of theatre.

There’s a real chemistry between Phil Harrison and Alison Bowers as Elyot and Amanda and it’s so convincing you feel their characters have really shared a past. Likewise Emily Duffy and Vince Bowers are perfect as Sybil and Victor, their spurned spouses, desperately trying to make sense of a bizarre situation.

Kathryn Fennell also makes the most of her role as the French maid Louise and I’m sure I’m not the only one aching to see a cast and a creative team as good as this one work together again.

A jolly good show, as Noel Coward, writer of the play’s sparkling script would say. He was dubbed “The Master” for a very good reason.

Make sure you don’t miss the best comedy production to come out of this theatre in years. A real antidote to the autumn gloom.

* Until November 24. The box office is on 0161 928 1113. Star rating - ****