Emile Zola’s original novel shocked late-19th century French society. Its subject matter of passion, adultery, murder and revenge were depicted as merely salacious and pornographic.

But there is much more to it than that and Helen Edmundson’s adaptation captures the complexities of Zola’s characters with passion, certainly – and compassion.

The eponymous Therese (Pippa Nixon) has been brought up by her aunt (Alison Steadman), and is pushed into marriage with her cousin Camille (Hugh Skinner), a weak, self-centred youth who has always been mollydcoddled by his mother and sees Therese more as a servant than a wife.

Therese’s suffocated senses are suddenly released and awakened by Laurent (Kieran Bew), a friend of Camille’s and they embark on a passionate affair which has ultimately tragic consequences for them and all those close to them.

The drama is beautifully choreographed by director Jonathan Munby and is enhanced by Dominic Haslam’s powerful music. The rather gloomy set with no outdoor aspect illustrates Therese’s sense of imprisonment in a loveless marriage and mind-numbingly boring environment.

Hugh Skinner’s Camille gives her good reason for her despair in his convincing portrayal of a bloodless and charmless Narcissus.

There are some brilliant and shocking special effects. The chemistry between Pippa Nixon and Kieran Bew is explosive.

The sense of danger and foreboding they create is palpable and the denouement heart-wrenching.

Alison Steadman can always be relied upon to deliver a totally absorbing performance.

As the doting mother and persuasive aunt she is utterly believable, even more so in the later stages of the play when she is mute and paralysed but still manages to project a commanding presence.

Desmond Barrit, Michael Mears and Charlotte Mills complete this excellent cast.