Part breezy after dinner comedy, part meaty philosophical satire in the vein of Stoppard, I felt Christopher Hampton's play benefited enormously from the casting. Never before seen with actors of the ages they are playing, it was refreshing and relatable to see actors we've seen go through school and university on screen now faced with the trials of adulthood. When Hampton shines the spotlight on the anxiety of relationships and life in general, the show morphs from comedy into something far more emotional and thought provoking.

Simon Bird and Charlotte Ritchie give truly exceptional performances as Phillip and Celia, an engaged couple who come to realise they aren't what the other had hoped for, with Tom Rosenthal's Don adding comic relief as a gadabout lecturer with principles at heart. Elsewhere, Matt Berry's booming voice adds credence to his portrayal of borish writer Braham, who makes for an interesting diversion but is overall the weakest element of the play. Lily Cole is cute and affecting as Araminta, a troubled temptress whose blase attitude to sexuality starts off admirable before descending into something slightly darker.

Those unfamiliar with the source material as I was will find The Philanthropist an intriguing and relatable experience, with Simon Callow's elegant and subtle direction shoring the production up as a likeable and eminently watchable piece of theatre with a beginning and end that'll have you on the very edge of your seat.

The Philanthropist is at the Trafalgar Studios until July 22nd
Reviewed by Kitty