The Good Soldier The Ustinov, Bath

Julian Mitchell's adaptation of Ford Madox Ford's novel about deception and the gulf between appearance and reality is an elegant masterpiece.

This intricate story about the disintegration of two marriages, as told by the narrator John Dowell, switches backwards and forwards in time but is held in perfect balance by the central motif of an elaborate minuet.

It's a complicated story set just before the World War I that examines the seemingly idyllic life of the rich, and also looks at religious and Anglo-American cultural differences.

Mitchell was apparently worried about the success of the adaptation owing to the difficulty of using flashbacks in the theatre – but in this production, a world premier specially commissioned by the Theatre Royal Bath, the narrative of past and present events unfolds smoothly with both poignancy and humour.

Presumably Ford Madox Ford was being ironic in his title The Good Soldier as the central character Edward Ashburnham is not altogether good – he shows a sentimental concern for his tenants but is otherwise a philanderer and a gambler.

Everyone loves him, including his long-suffering wife Leonora, his numerous lovers and his friend John Dowell, whose own wife Florence has had a long affair with Edward.

The two couples strive to keep up appearances, dancing around each other until the tensions bubble up to the surface and it becomes obvious that the dance is "not a minuet but a prison filled with screaming hysterics".

At the end, John, the only one of the four who has been unaware that he has shared his wife with Edward, and facing still more disappointment, says: "It is all darkness".

But there is nothing dark about the execution of this beautifully constructed play. With a cast that includes Flora Montgomery (Leonora), Jennifer Woodward (Florence), John Hopkins (Edward) and Jonathan Forbes (John), it is a theatrical delight with strong performances from all.

The director is Matthew Lloyd.

The Good Soldier is part of a main House at the Ustinov season while the Theatre Royal Bath is being refurbished.

It runs until Saturday, August 14. Tickets on 01225 448844 or visit www.theatreroyal.org.uk/ustinov.

Jackie Chappell

WIN TICKETS

We have a pair of tickets to give away for the performance on Monday, August 2. If you would like to have a chance of winning them, just answer the following question, put your answer on a postcard with your name, address and telephone number and send it to Good Soldier Competition, The Guide, The Bath Chronicle, Westpoint, James Street West, Bath BA1 2DA. The first correct answer out of the hat on Monday will get the tickets.

The question is: who wrote The Good Soldier?

Bath Light Operatic Group is looking for two male actors, singers and dancers to play the parts of the Suitors in a production of the popular musical Seven Brides For Seven Brothers at the Theatre Royal Bath.

Anyone interested should contact the Blog secretary on 01225 862904 or visit www.bathlightoperaticgroup.co.uk for further details. The group rehearses every Tuesday and Thursday at Walcot Methodist Church, Bath and the show will be performed from November 23 to November 27.