WHILE the Chesil Theatre is not, strictly speaking, a professional company, you could be forgiven for thinking that they are.

And their latest foray onto the stage of the Theatre Royal in Winchester with Pygmalion helped to galvanise that reputation.

George Bernard Shaw’s classic tale is now around a century old, and filled with nostalgia and period wit.

The passing of 100 years has made it less socially controversial, and it is now something quite safe to show to highly-strung great aunts.

The story focuses on Eliza Doolittle and her efforts to go from street peddler to duchess in just six months thanks to the efforts of Professor Henry Higgins.

Aided by Colonel Pickering, the experiment results in lots of social situations where the audience wonders if Miss Doolittle can fool London’s wealthy set.

Most of the humour stems from her almost getting away with it, with perfect diction littered with clunky words and faltering mannerisms.

There were certainly plenty of laughs and Eleanor Marsden did well in the lead role, getting her accent spot on at all stages of her evolution from wench to lady.

Michael Goron as Professor Higgins and Charles Seligman as Colonel Pickering provided able support as her mentors.

The Chesil group also made good use of the stage at the Theatre Royal – which is larger than their usual one – with an attractive set.

One problem though was the time taken for scene changes. On one occasion it was more than two minutes as the cast – under cover of darkness – deftly ensured that every stick of furniture was exactly where it should be.

Then again it was hard to find faults with this piece, of which any professional group would have been proud.

Pygmalion runs at the Theatre Royal in Jewry Street, Winchester, until Saturday, April 10. Call the box office on 01962 840440 for more details.