Midlife crisis and the temptation to grasp at lost youth is at the heart of Ibsen’s The Master Builder which is the next production by the Company of Ten.

The acclaimed play traces the manner in which Halvard Solness, the master builder of the title, the manipulator who is used to having his own way and dominating all around him, allows himself to be manipulated by the much younger Hilde Wangel.

Said director Nick Strudwick: “The Master Builder is often considered to be the most autobiographical of Ibsen’s plays and for this production we are using a new version of The Master Builder by David Edgar which introduces current day language and idioms and revitalises Ibsen’s masterpiece, without in any way devaluing the original.”

Performances in the Abbey Theatre Studio in St Albans run from tonight (Thursday) until Saturday and from October 16 to 19 with a Sunday matinee this weekend at 2.30pm.

Tickets are available from www.abbeytheatre.org.uk or call the box office on 01727 857861.