THE sea may rarely reveal its secrets but the human heart will always betray itself in the fullness of time.

Daphne du Maurier’s classic study of the destructive powers of all-consuming jealousy was written during the 1930s but it still crashes through our sensibilities with all the force of waves colliding with a West Country cliff.

And it this combination of the elements and the darker side of human nature that drives a gripping tale endowed with an even greater darkness in this production by Kneehigh Theatre.

Many of us are familiar with the Alfred Hitchcock movie but Kneehigh has really turned up the Gothic horror with this one.

The cottage shrine to the first Mrs de Winter, the ever-present fatal boat that always looms large… no human ghost could compete with these inanimate yet vital clues to a murky past and therein lies the genius of Emma Rice’s fast-paced direction.

Imogen Sage is perfectly cast as the second Mrs de Winter, a mousey little creature that is painfully unsure of everything, including the love of her new husband Maxim (Tristan Sturrock), whose heart is as cold as Cornish granite.

The icy temperature of Manderley is further frosted by the dastardly Mrs Danvers (Emily Raymond) the housekeeper from hell whose chewing-on-a-lemon expression never once loses its acidity.

Thankfully, Lizzie Winkler brings some light relief as vacuous flapper Beatrice, who is in turn perfectly complemented by the will ‘o wisp Katy Owen doubling as Robert and Ben, two servants who are comic and tragic in equal measure. Aiding them is Andy Williams, who also lightens the gloom as the bumptious Giles/coastguard.

Meanwhile, the whole sorry saga is narrated by sea shanties courtesy of some superbly gifted musicians hovering in the wings like storm-tossed seabirds viewing the unfolding drama below.

Rebecca runs until Saturday (May 9).