THINK of Noel Coward and you tend to think of the upper class stories and fast-moving wit of plays such as Blithe Spirit and Private Lives. Yet this great playwright was also the EastEnders script writer of his time and able to bring more humble going-ons to life in his own distinctive way as award-winning Hamble Players are hoping to prove.

This Happy Breed by Coward opens at Hamble-le-Rice Memorial Hall from Tuesday. It tells the story of Frank Gibbons (Mark Cook) just demobbed (1919) who settles in Clapham with his wife Ethel, (Lyn Bentley) their children Reg, Queenie and Vi, (James Milne, Jade Parker and Leanne Wilkins) Ethel's mother, Mrs Flint (Kay Baker) and Frank's sister, Sylvia (Jane Masters).

They find that one of Frank's Army pals, Bob Mitchell, (Patric Howe) is their next door neighbour and his son Billy (Dave Smith), becomes Queenie's faithful admirer. This respectable working-class home with its commonness, its sterling qualities, and its humour is a vivid depiction of the ups and downs in the life of a London family between the wars.

The show is directed by Wayne Ings who says: "Imagine EastEnders: the prequel. The Gibbons family spans four generations, all with different viewpoints and opinions. With births, deaths and marriages this play has triumph, tragedy, heartache and humour based around the two decades between the First and Second World War.

Wayne, who has directed four productions for the group added: "When I read This Happy Breed I could visualise the characters and directing a Coward play of this size was definitely an exciting challenge for me, having done just pantomimes and comedy before.

"I've tried to create a window into this family's life using the set, the props, the costumes and a great cast. At times it has been a logistical nightmare with 12 cast members, nine scenes and a 20 year timespan all crammed into an eight week rehearsal period. Even though this is my first time directing a drama I have managed to insert a few of the Ings comedy touches for those lighter moments."

Although different from his most regarded plays, This Happy Breed ran in the theatre with Coward himself in the lead role and it was subsequently made into a film directed by David Lean and starring Celia Johnson and John Mills.

Wayne Ings is convinced it still has Coward's master touches. "Coward's sharp dialogue, class and style come across clearly whether the scene is a comical one or full of pathos."

Tuesday March 1 to Saturday March 5, 7.30pm at Hamble-le-Rice Memorial Hall. Tickets £6.50 and £5 Box office: 01489 574915.