Love and Marriage, Theatre Royal, Brighton, until March 15

With his premature death last week, I fear the play is doomed.

It was penned by Donald Churchill, whose claim to fame was as one of the writers of the gritty police series The Sweeney, starring John Thaw and Dennis Waterman.

The great flaw with Love And Marriage is it isn't an all-out comedy nor an all-out drama.

What it is is a sometimes mild comedy and a failed attempt at a serious look at the sanctity of marriage. What is certain is that Faith would have injected a great deal of humour.

Certain, too, is that the cast is suffering from the passing of the play's star.

The heaviest pressure is on Kevin O'Donohoe, Faith's understudy. He plays Bill, a close friend of the central couple who once had sex with the wife.

The wife Ruth (Liz Izen) is married to Tony (Stephen Boxer) who believes marriage can only survive on total communication about everything, including infidelity.

When the wife of another couple takes an overdose of sleeping pills, Ruth decides if she lives, she will tell Tony about the incident with Bill.

Bill, who believes marital lies are the lifeblood of marriage is horrified. His wife, the never seen Maggie, is already on the verge of throwing him out and another revelation would wreck their relationship for good.

Twists and turns, recriminations and revelations, are what love and marriage are all about.

The cast do the best they can but the play never really rises above chuckle level and you have to wait some time for those few laughs.

Poor Kevin O'Donohoe is no Adam Faith - he's taller, stockier and has dark hair. I guess Faith's energy would have made the whole play go faster.

Love And Marriage is tepid and tedious stuff and the cast must be enduring agonies coming to terms with their loss. Adam Faith will certainly be missed.

For tickets, call 01273 328488.

Love And Marriage will also be playing at the Devonshire Park Theatre, Eastbourne, from Monday, March 31, to Saturday, April 5. For tickets, call 01323 412000.