Does Bernard Shaw hold the record for writing longest for the West End stage? Surprisingly not. The honour goes to farceur Ben Travers who made his mark in 1922 with The Dippers and closed his career at 89 in 1975 with The Bed Before Yesterday.

Staged at the Lyric under director Lindsay Anderson, the play starred Joan Plowright as a repressed widow belatedly introduced to the joys of sex through the example of a licentious film wannabe played by the young Helen Mirren. Writing to his friend John Gielgud, Anderson revealed that Travers “was frightened of what his children would think of it” – and well he might have been, considering its upfront sexual content.

Even today, in the spirited revival at the Mill, the play comes across as strong meat. Happily, it is adult in the correct sense of the word, though, with humour that arises naturally from the characters of those involved in the story rather than any of the ‘nudge, nudge’ naughtiness the subject often attracts.

Director Julian Woolford switches the action from 1930 to the Swinging London of the sixties, which suits the subject matter very well. Susan Penhaligon shines (if that’s the word for such a dour character) as bossy, well-heeled Alma who marries the impecunious Victor (Brian Deacon) for company rather than rumpy-pumpy but then comes to change her mind.

She is inspired to do this by the liberated film extra Ella (Stacey Cadman) – a pal of Victor’s doltish son (Joel Sams) – and through the joyous hedonism of her cousin Lolly (Rosemarie Ashe) who has a houseful of willing male lodgers at her disposal.

In the end, perhaps predictably, the consequence of Alma’s taste of sexual freedom is disappointment rather than happiness. For the audience, though, there is plenty to laugh at on the way, including a hilarious scene in which she enjoys a grapple with a notorious showbiz lothario played by Jess Conrad.

The play continues until July 11. Box office tel 0118 969 8000 (www.millatsonning.com).