Visiting the theatre and enjoying a meal out rank among my favourite pastimes, so combining the two seemed like an excellent proposition.

That was precisely what awaited at the Norfolk Arms Hotel in Arundel during the weekend, where the British Actors’ Group presented a production unfolding within a dining setting while spectators enjoyed their courses.

The hotel’s ballroom was transformed into La Belle Aurore, a French establishment based in Sussex that a couple named Rachel and Simon had frequented for three and a half decades.

Presented as part of the Arundel Festival, As Clouds Go By was penned by Brighton writer Mark Burgess and staged by Olivier-nominated director Caroline Smith. The sixty-minute piece centres on two former romantic partners who have since become companions, as they reflect on their intertwined past and contemplate alternative possibilities.

Dinner preceded the performance, with the Norfolk Arms’ head chef crafting dishes inspired by what might be served at La Belle Aurore: French onion soup accompanied by a cheesy crouton, beef bourguignon alongside dauphinoise potatoes, and an apple tart tatin drizzled with creme anglaise.

The reasons for Rachel and Simon’s repeated patronage over 35 years became apparent as each course proved exceptional: the onion soup exhibited remarkable depth, the beef possessed a tender quality, the potatoes were luxuriously smooth, and the tart featured apples that were wonderfully soft and caramelised.

Once tea and macaroons had been served, the performance commenced.

By addressing the audience directly and drawing them into its world, the production achieved an intimacy that more conventional staging might not deliver. Concerns about potential audience involvement proved unfounded.

The dramatic tension emerges from the spectators’ initial perceptions of Rachel and Simon being gradually dismantled as additional details emerge.

Initially, one assumes they form a romantic pair sharing an anniversary celebration. While some recognition of significance exists, they are not actually coupled. Rachel is in fact married and has maintained these clandestine encounters throughout the entire period.

This revelation represents one of several unexpected turns awaiting the audience.

Jane Arden inhabiting the role of Rachel projects refinement and composed dignity that mask underlying currents of remorse, yearning, melancholy, and inner turmoil. The emotional culmination that brings her to tears proves particularly moving given the closeness of the seating.

Julien Ball’s portrayal of Simon possesses an engaging quality that illuminates why Rachel initially became attracted to him, and the two performers generate authentic rapport.

The cloud imagery occasionally felt somewhat transparent, yet on the whole this production offers a warm, nostalgic examination of a relationship and life that might have unfolded differently, complemented by excellent cuisine.

The performance will stage a return at Elate in Rottingdean on September 26 prior to commencing a broader tour.