IT is 1930 and in a glamorous hotel in France, the champagne is flowing, moonlight glitters on the sea and a distant orchestra plays.

Two newly-wed couples are enjoying their honeymoons in adjoining suites. Naïve young bride Sibyl gazes at her charismatic husband Elyot, while Victor admires his new wife, the sophisticated Amanda. But trouble lies ahead. Amanda hears a familiar voice and an old spark re-ignites.

So begins Noel Coward’s classic comedy of manners, Private Lives, which opens at the Wyvern Theatre in Swindon on Thursday, October 5. Olivia Beardsley, pictured, plays Sibyl Chase and is relishing the chance to star in a play by Coward.

“When I was reading the script I was laughing out loud. I have done a lot of heavy drama recently so this was great,” she said.

A recent graduate from the Drama Studio in Ealing, Olivia, 28, has already appeared in a number of plays, including A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Centennial Park Open Air Theatre), and the cult horror film The Babadook, for which she did puppetry and green screen work.

“Noel Coward was such a great writer – the way he forms sentences seems unrealistic on the page because of the structure but when you read them out loud they are completely right,” Olivia observed.

“Sybil is a very sweet and naïve character. She is a typical upper class English rose, raised to be a housewife and to treat her husband like a king. But it’s all an image, and we see that as the play goes on.”

The play is a period piece and she said it was played true to the era, though the dysfunctional relationships were the same in any age.

Olivia was born in the UK but has also lived in Australia. She enjoyed the chance to practise upper class Received Pronunciation.

“I find the English accent very easy and I really quite like accents. I have a Bachelor of Music degree and I think once you have the cadence and tone of an accent it’s not too hard.”

The play is directed by Michael Cabot of the London Classic Theatre and is touring to 17 venues around the UK. Victor Prynne is played by Kieran Buckeridge, Jack Hardwick plays Elyot Chase and Helen Keeley plays Amanda Prynne.

Noel Coward was one of the most acclaimed playwrights of the 20th century, with such hits as Design for Living and Blythe Spirit. Private Lives, full of razor-sharp wit and quick dialogue, is one of Coward’s most popular and enduring stage comedies, written in only three days and a hit when it played to packed audiences at the Phoenix Theatre in London, in August 1930.

The speed is reflected in the new production: “It really cracks a pace. It does not languish,” Olivia said.

This will be her first visit to Swindon, and as she will be staying near the town centre for a few days, she is looking forward to getting to find out more about it. As for future acting ambitions – Olivia fancies playing Richard III in Shakespeare’s play.

Private Lives runs Thursday October 5 to Saturday October 7 at the Wyvern, at 7.30pm. Tickets are £19, with concessions at £17, and Friends two for one on Thursday. To book visit swindontheatres.co.uk or telephone 01793 524481.