PAUL STAMMERS enjoys French Without Tears at the Mill at Sonning

It was surely no accident that Terence Rattigan named his femme fatale Diana, the huntress of Greek mythology. Rattigan's frothy comedy is set in the summer of 1936 - a few months before the production premiered in London. A group of English gents are struggling to learn French on the Riviera under the auspices of a crotchety tutor, Monsieur Maingot (Philip McGough).

They prove more inspired by leggy, slender brunette Diana (Susie Benton), the sister of one of their party, who is even prepared to flirt with dull old naval commander Bill Rogers (Graham Seed). The menfolk come to realise they have all been toyed with, yet are still unable to resist her appeal, and rely on strength in numbers in order to avoid emotional destruction. All the while, the charming, intelligent, but less comely Jacqueline (Maxine Gregory) lives with rejection by Kit (Christopher Naylor), whom she loves.

Jessica Tandy, then an unknown actress, protested after the - rather unhappy - dress rehearsal in November 1936: "This isn't a play, it's a charade." The Sunday Times was even less charitable, dismissing it as devoid of wit, character or appeal for people seeking grown-up theatre. That is too harsh - it has more substance than the likes of Ben Travers' pre-war farce Rookery Nook, for instance - but it is firmly rooted in an era of foppery, flannels and fruity vowels.

French is spoken frequently; set designer Michael Holt has placed a statue of Buddha in the background and turned a nearby globe to show Africa - but it's a thoroughly Anglo-Saxon affair. This production, directed by Sally Hughes, in which the theme of grappling with a foreign language echoes the cast's fumbling on an emotional level, comes alive in the second act, when the characters reveal more self-awareness than in the largely pedestrian first section. There were moments of tension on Tuesday's opening night, especially when the cynical, flamboyant Alan (Gregory Finnegan) was on stage, but one such episode was sapped when a lady was escorted from her seat, looking unwell. And in the second act, another audience member's hearing aid issued an intermittent buzz, particularly when the drunken Alan, Bill and Kit were shedding their inhibitions and finally managing to bond.

If the cast were nervous, they failed to show it. While McGough was perhaps under-used and Seed was difficult to envisage as a crusty old sea salt, Finnegan, Naylor and Gregory earned their keep in particular.

French Without Tears is at the Mill at Sonning until October 14.