A PACKED house enjoyed a masterful production of W Somerset Maugham's The Circle at Malvern Theatres on Tuesday night.

Set in a Dorset country house drawing room in 1919, the action centres on the tangled loves of a family at the very top of the social circle, exploring issues of love, fidelity, marriage and happiness.

Lady Kitty returns with Lord Porteous to the house from which they eloped 30 years earlier to find Elizabeth trapped in a similar loveless marriage to the one she fled from.

Tension arises from the dilemma facing Elizabeth - should she flee her marriage, paying the high price Kitty paid by becoming a social outcast and wrecking her husband's career?

The epigrams and verbal barbs are reminiscent of Noel Coward or even Oscar Wilde, but the play overall does not have the same lightness of touch, as its "issues" are much closer to the surface.

Skilful construction and beautiful balance make it easy to see why the play is widely regarded as Maugham's definitive work for the stage, and seeing it restored to its full splendour was a treat.

Wendy Craig and Tony Britton purred along like Rolls-Royces in the lead roles of Lady Kitty and Lord Porteous, matched by the youthful and talented Hattie Morahan as Elizabeth.

The rest of the cast did not let the standard slip, and slick production and direction ensured the final product was as well polished as the antique furniture. It runs until tomorrow (Saturday).

Jon di Paolo