A FASCINATING play at the Blake Theatre, Monmouth follows Jane Austen on her colourful journey from a studious pupil to one of Britain's best-loved authors.

The production shines a light on the 19-century writer's enigmatic personality, and stars Anton Rodgers and his actress wife Elizabeth Garvie.

Austen's tales of love, friendship and human nature told with trademark wit and biting social commentary are still as relevant today as they were nearly 200 years ago.

Comedies of manners such as Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility and Emma are among the most revered novels in English literature.

The celebration follows her life and works, from the uproarious delights of her earliest efforts to the extraordinary explosion of vitality in her last, unfinished novel.

Rodgers is best-known to TV audiences for his starring role in May to December on the BBC in the late 1980s and early '90s.

Garvie has herself appeared in a TV adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, along with credits in The House of Elliott.

The play features a live soundtrack played by piano and flute of short pieces by composers from Austen's era, including Mozart, Donizetti, Beethoven, Czerny, Schubert and Gossek.

A Celebration of Jane Austen is showing at the Blake Theatre, Monmouth on Saturday, February 3 at 7.30pm. Tickets are £15, with concessions at £13. For bookings, call the box office on 01600 719401.