TOM Conti, one of Britain's most gifted and versatile comedic actors, is set to star in The Real Thing at Malvern Theatres.

This hilarious comedy takes an insightful look into marriage and writing, emotional fidelity and intellectual integrity, high art and pop culture and shows us that it isn't always easy to tell what the real thing is.

Henry is the smartest, sharpest and most wickedly witty playwright of his generation. But writing about betrayal is one thing - living with it is another. When he leaves his first wife, Charlotte, he believes his relationship with new love, Annie, is the real thing. But when the boundaries of life and art get blurred things suddenly get rather sticky. Now it's real and Henry's about to learn a tough lesson about true love.

Tom Stoppard is one of this country's finest writers. From Arcadia, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead and The Invention of Love, to the Oscar award-winning Shakespeare in Love, Stoppard's works have been both box office smash hits and dramatic landmarks. Tom Stoppard's polished and sophisticated comedy, The Real Thing, looks at love and infidelity in the modern marriage, accompanied by a soundtrack of 60s classics. Intelligent, entertaining, engrossing and full of surprises, The Real Thing is widely regarded as one of his writer's most popular plays.

Tom Conti's work includes They're Playing Our Song and Two Into One in the West End, the title role in Jeffrey Bernard Is Unwell, the lead role in Arthur Miller's The Ride Down Mount Morgan and Whose Life Is It, Anyway?, for which he won a Tony Award. His many films include Shirley Valentine, the Academy Award nominated Reuben, Reuben, and Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence. His recent television work includes the psychological thriller, Donovan.

The Real Thing will be at the Festival Theatre, Malvern from Monday, November 28 to Saturday, December 3.

Tickets are £16 to £24. To book, call the box office on 01684 892277 or www.malvern-theatres.co.uk.