FOR all its country house setting, titled characters and attentive butler, The King-fisher is a play whose characters seemed more real and natural than any in today's television soaps.

Rosemary Leach and Fran-cis Matthews were wonderfully cast as the practical widow and wholly unrealistic, romantic bachelor who meet up again after a gap of 50 years.

Meeting up with Evelyn after her husband's funeral, novelist Sir Cecil Warburton determines to rekindle their romance but fails to consider her objections, or those of his long-suffering butler.

The script in the hands of these two experienced actors never seems like a script, more like a genuine conversation. Although light-hearted, the comedy's wit is wicked rather than gentle.

As anyone well past the first flush of youth will tell you, age is a strange thing. Grey hair and wrinkles may make you look different but inside you feel the same as you did at 20.

We feel for the self-deluding Cecil when he tries to re-ignite a half-century old romance and we understand the curiosity of Evelyn who, being realistic rather than romantic in her youth, settled for dear, dull, dependable Reggie but can't help wondering what she missed.

The difficulties of simply sitting down on the grass, not to mention the near impossibility of getting up again afterwards, drew sympathetic, and I suspect understanding, laughter from the audience.

I also suspect, that like me, everyone was pleased when love eventually triumphed.

The leading characters were supported by Michael Stroud's wonderful opinionated butler Hawkins.

His loyalty, jealousy and pride were subtly played and his love for Sir Cecil and his hurt at his cruel and thoughtless insults were moving as well as funny.

The Kingfisher is at Malvern Theatres tonight (Friday) and tomorrow.

SUE VICKERS