Terrence Rattigan’s light-hearted play, French Without Tears, is brought to the stage in this energetic performance without any need to stray too far from the original. The staging and costumes come straight out of the 1930s in which the play was first performed; there’s no attempt to make anything here seem new-fangled or modern, nor is there any need to. The comedy is provided by the characters themselves rather than their surroundings, which seem most of the time to be incidental. Though set in a school for Englishmen needing to learn French quickly, the play is really about the response of the men to the charms of a certain woman in their midst.

The Commander, a favourite with the audience, is described by the play’s blurb as a “grizzled naval captain”. Martin Vella’s portrayal of the character doesn’t quite fit the description. He’s more of an eccentric, sillier than a seasoned sailor. His drunken rambling is one of the most amusing parts of the play, as he reclines inebriated on the sofa after a night of heavy drinking. But this silliness fits the role better than the grizzled captain we are promised; all the students are fools first and foremost when the alluring Diana is involved.

Almost everyone here is a little larger than life. The accents adopted by the cast are either stereotypically 1930s English or stereotypically French, apart from Jacqueline Maingot who seems inexplicably Welsh. Their expressions are often comically exaggerated, the Commander again providing humour through a few funny faces alone. The temperamental French teacher Maingot, played by Antoine Ducoux, hurries to and fro in a flurry of French, funny even to those of us who remember their French lessons with tears of pain. It works well, giving the production a feeling of frivolity that provides amusement throughout.

Notably, Octavia Sheepshanks is an excellent Diana. Whereas the students squabble and sulk, she seems perfectly in control as a seductive troublemaker. She never disrupts the light-heartedness of the play by becoming overly villainous, nor overstates her manipulation and trickery. In fact, it is the calm in which her sometimes cruel comments are delivered which allows us to find her both amusing and unpleasant.

The cast make this an enjoyable performance, and seem to enjoy performing it too. I can only suggest that you go and enjoy it for yourself.