NOEL COWARD's reputation as the master playwright of wit was not unearned, but to regard his work as a collection of bon mots held together by cut-glass accents is to do both writer and plays a grave injustice.

In reality, Coward's plays centre around character and communication, and the very real people who inhabit them use wit as both weapon and defence.

The Marquise, one of Coward's most neglected works, tells of romance, gentility, mistaken identity, secret marriage, and the wisdom of elders in 18th-century France.

Eloise, the Marquise of the title, is played in this new production by a true grand dames of the stage.

Kate O'Mara, 64, first found fame in the 1970s BBC drama series The Brothers as a hard-nosed businesswoman, and after a short stint as Joan Collins' sister Caress in Dynasty, founded her own theatre company.

She said: "Playing a woman in a man's world certainly opened doors for me and changed people's perception of me.

"But in Dynasty I was homesick. I could have stayed but I wanted to come home. I ended up appearing in a production of King Lear with Sir Anthony Quayle and started talking about how nice it would be to run my own company.

"I think one reason why The Marquise has not been revived for a long time is that it is set in the 18th century and people expect Coward to chronicle his own age.

"But the historical setting allowed him to be more louche than censorship would have allowed if the play had been set in his own times. His characters are really 1920s people in 18th Century costume.

"It is really a play about middle aged love, about carrying on. There is an autumnal feel to it that is rather appealing." The Marquise runs from February 23 to 28 at the Festival Theatre, Malvern. For details, phone the box office on 01684 892277.