Having spent a delicious evening in the company of Sibyl, Elyot, Amanda and the duller than dull Victor, one can’t help reaching the conclusion that Noël Coward knew precisely which two were the most insufferable.

The way in which Torch Theatre director Chelsey Gillard has captured Coward’s obvious revelry of those combustible, sometimes cruel but unavoidably adorable lovers, Elyot and Amanda, is magnificent.

They shift between passions effortlessly. One moment they’re spitting pure hatred, the next they're flirting outrageously and then they lose themselves in an unbridled passion (complete with a fair degree of savage sexiness), which leaves the audience in no doubt of the tremendous chemistry between Claire Cage (Amanda) and Francois Pandolfo (Elyot).

From the moment he stepped onto the stage, accompanied by his annoyingly childish new wife Sibyl, Pandolfo displayed impeccable timing, some fantastic facial expressions and a petite frame that was positively bursting with power. Here, indeed, was a little dynamo of perfect control.

Pandolfo has created a complex character who, despite his conformity to fashion and style, is louche, violent and often unrestrainable.

Why he chose to wed Sybil one will never know, and with a voice as grating as hers, who can blame him? But wed her he did, and as the couple arrive at their hotel to prepare for the first night of their honeymoon, who should he spy in the adjoining room but his former wife, Amanda.

Claire Cage could have stepped straight from the realms of the Mitford sisters as she summed up the sheer elegance of the ravishing 1930s.

Her diction was pure crystal, over-exaggerating certain words and certainly over-exaggerating her movements. But never once did her speech nor her actions grate. Cage displayed an intensely powerful Amanda with flashing eyes and an acerbic tongue.

“This is the end. Do you understand? The end, finally and foreeeeeeeever," she said.  And the audience loved it.

The way in which this woman projects the conflicting Amanda is truly magnificent. Yes, she’s one mighty female who holds a considerable controlling power over the equally controlling Elyot. But one also has to ask the question, “Is she needy?”

The transition from the hatred and confusion the couple first encounter when they rediscover each other at the hotel to the passionate verbal and physical exchanges in the elegant Paris apartment are immaculately gauged, and they can both turn on those contrasting personalities at the flick of a switch.

One character I adored to bits was Louise, the immaculately attired housekeeper who displayed elegant Frenchness to the nth degree, combined with a certain degree of Mrs Overall. Her off-the-wall humour and adorable mannerisms were exquisite.

Private Lives continues at the Torch Theatre, Milford Haven, until Saturday, October 21.