FIRST things first - yes, there was an Aga.

The symbol of the Joanna Trollope lifestyle sat defiantly on the set of this, the first stage adaptation of a novel by one of Britain's favourite authors.

Her work, notably The Choir and The Rector's Wife, have transferred successfully to the small screen and this was in many ways the nearest you can get to TV on stage. Designer Simon Higlett uses a multi-faceted set to allow for the sort of rapid fades and scene changes which keep the pot boiling and allow us to follow the development of this tale of infidelity and familial strife.

Trollope's speciality is angst among the heavily-mortgaged and in this instance it is the story of judge Guy (Jeremy Clyde) who decides to leave his wife Laura (Polly Adams) and marry long-term mistress Merrion (Daisy Beaumont), who is half his age.

And this apparent mismatch is most definitely played as a game of two halves. By the interval I wanted the whole lot of them with their smug self-control to disappear up their own Agas, but as the masks were torn away and the whole thing became ugly and undignified, the second half brought revelations, recognisable truths and moments of tear-jerking sadness.

This allowed all the actors to show their mettle, none more so than Polly Adams as the deserted wife, who brilliantly creates such a self-obsessed monster that the audience applauds her family's rejection of her. The play runs until Saturday. Box office: 01242 572573.

Review by Steve Evans