The power of the pencil moustache - the emblematic facial furniture of a very English hero - was certainly in evidence at the Belgrade this week.

Forget the Hitchcock classic, Ralph Thomas' flat remake or Don Sharp's creditable 1978 picture, this ripping piece of Olivier Award-winning theatre is a far-distant cousin.

With its cast of four and some highly entertaining juggling of roles (something the audience is very much 'in on'), this story of the caddish London gent who chances upon a spy plot is sharply-scripted, very funny and rammed full of beautifully-observed physical theatre.

Director Maria Aitken manages to hoodwink the audience into believing an epic is unfolding before them, while keeping things deceptively simple.

A door gets pushed around the stage, making it appear as if two characters are walking through a large house.

Three trunks become a train, first acting as seats and then as the roof during a chase. A parade of hats allows two actors to become salesmen, police, ticket collectors and newspaper pushers, all while they stand still.

And if half the production's marvel comes from the creative solutions Aitken comes up with in staging the film, the rest comes from strong performances across the board.

David Michaels cuts a dash as Richard Hannay, while Clare Swinburne impresses as femme fatale Annabella Schmidt, pompous Pamela and, most successfully, young Scottish bride Margaret.

Top marks, however, go to lan Perrin and Colin Mace as Man 1 and 2 - unglamorous titles which do scant justice to a constantly shifting array of support roles played to comedic perfection.

Tom Sales

Verdict: Clever adaptation