MALVERN'S theatres have witnessed plenty of GBS plays in their time - but few can have been so delightfully accessible as Sir Peter Hall's current production of You Never Can Tell.

True this is Bernard Shaw as crowd-pleaser - as he himself says in his preface he is: "far from taking an unsympathetic view of the popular preference for fun, fashionable dresses, a little music... eating and drinking by people with an expensive air, attended by an if-possible-comic waiter."

But it takes skilled direction and a tip-top cast to translate the often-indigestible Shaw into this sparkling fare.

And it's just those ingredients - plus elegant sets and a spanking pace - that deliver up this treat.

Edward Fox heads the distinguished cast, as the urbane waiter whose timely appearances keep the lid on simmering family tensions.

Diana Quick is the truly modern mum, Mrs Clandon, who finds her text-book knowledge deserting her as she copes with her exuberant family and a reunion with their long-lost father.

Ken Bones touches true pathos as the misunderstood Mr Crampton and William Chubb (as Finch M'Comas) and Michael Mears (Bohun) exemplify some of Shaw's feelings about the legal profession.

GBS's skill with plot ensures that our sympathies switch back and forth as the characters reveal more of themselves - especially so in the young lovers Gloria (Nancy Carroll) and Valentine (Ryan Kiggell).

But there's unswerving delight in the youngest Clandons - (Matthew Dunphy) and Dolly (Sinead Matthews) - whose charm and good humour provides the final froth to this bubbly brew.

You Never Can Tell continues at Malvern Theatres until Saturday.

LG