A "beautifully balanced" tragi-comedy is heading to the Abbey Theatre in St Albans at the end of June.

Home by David Storey is described as a "poignant exploration of four people thrown together by circumstance and bound by one thread in their lives".

The play, which first premiered in London in 1970, has also been praised by the Guardian as "one of the glories of modern drama" - citing its haunting elegiac power.

Home follows four characters - the seemingly benign Harry, highly opinionated Jack, cynical Marjorie and flirtatious Kathleen.

It is never clear where the four main characters are, or the reason for them meeting up. The audience is drawn into their world as their stories unfold.

Director Rosemary Goodman said: "The first production of Home, starring John Gielgud and Ralph Richardson, won the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play.

"With these fine performances in mind, the Company of Ten is excited to give our audience the chance to see these characters brought to life in the intimacy of our studio, an ideal setting for this intense drama, played out over the course of one afternoon in early autumn."

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The play is known for being poignant and funny, keeping audiences immersed until the final line.

Dewi Williams, who plays Jack, said: "It’s a privilege to play such a complex character, full of contradictions, a man damaged in many ways, a casualty of war living in a world that has seemingly passed him by.

"He aches with loneliness and yearns to communicate with those around him.

"As rehearsals develop we laugh a lot, perhaps cry a little, searching for the truth while discovering more clues that allow me to pick the lock of his personality."

Performances will be held in the Company of Ten studio at 8pm on Friday, June 30 and Saturday, July 1.

There will be a matinée performance at 2.30pm on Sunday, July 2.

More performances will take place from Tuesday, July 4 to Saturday, July 8, at 8pm.

To book tickets go to www.abbeytheatre.org.uk or call the box office on 01727 857861.