The Misanthrope, theatre Royal, Winchester

ALCESTE (Jonathan Keeble) is a self-appointed crusader against insincerity and takes a perverse delight in telling the truth, however harsh, at every opportunity.

He opens a can of worms for himself, though, when he falls in love with Celimene (Amber Edlin), the biggest two-faced cow in the whole of France.

The Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds' production of Moliere's 17th century comedy is based on a rhyming translation by Tony Harrison, which sees the action transported from courtly pre-revolutionary France to a housewarming party in the present day.

The acting is good, but the play is rather dull overall, the tum-ti-tum rhyming scheme becoming rather irritating. It's not helped by a lack of visual interest. The entire play takes place in a more or less empty white room, with most of the characters dressed in white. Good for the radio, perhaps, but not a tired Tuesday night theatre audience.

Nor does the modern setting add anything to the play.