ARE women any better off now than they were a century ago?

Haunting, witty and beautifully observed, the new play In Flame, coming to the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford on Thursday, January 15, compares and contrasts the lives of two women separated by three generations - Alex, living in contemporary London, and Livvy, in Yorkshire, in 1908.

In 2000 London, 36-year-old Alex has it all - good looks, a great job and loyal friends. However, she also has a neurotic flatmate, a mother who doesn't know who she is and a married lover who deals in futures but will only live in the present.

In 1908 Yorkshire, Alex's ancestors, nave Clara and her passionate sister Livvy, escape their grandmother's ever-watchful eye, only to fall under the spell of an itinerant heartbreaker. As the plot unfolds, hearts catch flame and family stories and secrets merge as past and present collide.

First produced at the Bush Theatre in 1999, In Flame announced the arrival of Charlotte Jones, winning her the Critics Circle award for Most Promising Playwright and transferring to the West End.

Her most recent play, Humble Boy, opened at the National Theatre, before transferring to the West End and Broadway where it won both the People's Choice Award and the Critics' Circle Award for Best New Play.

The cast includes Robert Bennison, Sophie Franklin, Alan Turkington, Elizabeth Holland and Emma Rydal.

Andrew Hall's previous directing credits include The Collector and An Evening With Gary Lineker. He co-directed Noises Off for PW Productions and has recently adapted and directed Romeo and Juliet for Vienna's English Theatre.

In Flame is at The Mill Studio for just four performances from Thursday to Saturday, January 15 to 17, prior to moving to the Jermyn Street Theatre, London.

Performances are daily at 8pm, with a Saturday matine at 4pm. Tickets, priced £10, are available from the box office on 01483 440000.