Last night O and I managed to catch the final performance of the National Theatre's acclaimed production of Ibsen's PILLARS OF THE COMMUNITY at the Lyttleton - and what an actory audience, with Adrian Scarborough, Iain Glen, Phil Davis and Lindsey Duncan spotted in the throng.

Andrew came through with staff tickets for this excellent production directed by Marianne Elliott with a new version of the text by Samuel Adamson. As with the production of THE WILD DUCK I saw last month, it hit a definate topical chord, namely the lengths a man will go to when his favoured standing in the community is threatened with the disclosure that it's all built on a lie.

Karsten Bernick is a leader of his remote harbour hometown in Norway mainly thanks to his family's shipbuilding company. The 'good' people of the town are a closeted bunch, disparaging to anyone who is seen to be different from them and anxious over the news that a railway line will soon be built past the town. The chance of undesirables arriving has not stopped Bernick, who once hated the idea, from now backing the scheme. Unknown to anyone he has bought up large areas of the land the line would pass through. His life is shaken however when his wife's half-brother and sister arrive unexpectedly in town from America. Both had left the town years before under suspicion: the brother Johan was accused of having an affair with an actress whose daughter has been raised by Karsten's sister as well as stealing a large sum of money from Karsten's business, the half-sister Lona disgraced herself by physically attacking Carsten after he proposed to her sister.

The truth of course is different. The money was never stolen, it had been squandered by Karsten's mother and it was easier to fuel the rumour that it was stolen by Johan, he had also been courting Lona and then proposed to her sister Bette when he realised she would inherit her father's wealth. When Johan and Lona threaten to expose him it appears Karsten will willingly send someone to their death rather than be exposed.

The damp squip performance of Damian Lewis as Karsten was easily eclipsed by the feisty performance of Lesley Manville as Lona. It was a delight to see her in this role, Elliot could have cast one of the usual faces one sees but casting Manville paid off in spades. She was matched by the performance of the always dependable Brid Brennan as Karsten's sister Marta, always ready to sacrifice her needs for others. It's always difficult to play selfless characters but Brennan pulled it off great aplomb.