Welcome to Albion House, the school where all the boys have very pronounced freckles and some of them are actually girls. The headmaster is retiring, giving way to the more liberal Mr. Franklin. The end of his last term in office coincides with the staging of the school play, directed by none other than the revolutionising Mr. Franklin. And so the play within the play begins, with the school play mirroring the workings of the school and the school acting as a microcosmic reflection of England (hence the naming of the school as Albion House, just in case we didn't get it). Traditionalism pulls in one direction and reform in another, with neither of their representatives being particularly sympathetic.

Those expecting the brilliance of the Talking Heads from this play will be disappointed: Forty Years On has moments of maudlin sentimentality, with the satire elsewhere leaving the audience in the awkward position of not being sure whether the pathos is sincere or not. Nevertheless, the cast exploit the play's comic potential; its lack of any deeper resonance can be blamed on Bennett rather than on this production's director.

Sadly the rain can be blamed on no-one but the malevolent god which sometimes chooses to preside over garden shows. A heavy shower had the audience scuttling from its seats or huddling under umbrellas, throwing the proceedings on stage into disarray but giving rise to some unintentionally hysterical moments. If it's a good day on Saturday, however, and some good old boy's school humour appeals, this enthusiastic production could well be worth a viewing.

Emma Dummett 06-06-01