Wit, sophistication and non-stop action bring the tale of two very different heroines to life, says Aleks Sierz.

With the publication of his novel Vanity Fair in 1847, William Makepeace Thackeray leapt straight into the bestseller lists, with an epic tale of love and money that starts in Regency England, witnesses the battle of Waterloo, and ends in Victorian times.

It follows the lives of schoolfriends Becky Sharp and Amelia Sedley - one poor but clever and the other rich but silly - as they marry, fall out with their families, have sons and, in different ways, lose their husbands.

Adapted for the stage by Cheek by Jowl’s Declan Donnellan, it is, says director Richard Baron, “a complex vision of humanity, which follows Becky Sharp, a heroine who is not heroic as - in order to climb a very corrupt social ladder - she has to behave very corruptly.”

Vanity Fair also examines “different forms of love, with the calculating love of Becky for her husband contrasting with that of the character Dobbin for Amelia, which is pure and unselfish, while he himself is a very plain man, with big feet, who clumps about.” In the end, however, “his sincerity is like a beacon of light”.

“In some respects, Becky’s immorality is celebrated in the novel,” says Baron. “She’s an extremely talented and clever young lady totally thwarted by the fact that she is not high born and has no money.”

Baron says the adaptation is “non-stop action, virtuoso stuff, using every technique of theatre to tell the story. There are no big chunks of narrative, which would hold things up, but the play is full of sharp remarks - and the pretentions of the characters are constantly being punctured”.

The audience is “encouraged to look at the story with a great sense of irony,” he says. “It’s sophisticated, witty, dry and with lots of costume changes.”

The production’s overall conception is that of a Regency fair, such as those once held in Vauxhall Gardens, “and we’ve used the Regency stripe all over the set. Then there are two big fairground booths with hatches and doors in them so actors can pop up and make quick comments before disappearing.”

Becky and Amelia have contrasting faults, and Baron says he likes the way in which the traditional image of a heroine is given a twist in the play. “Amelia is set up as a heroine, but cries too much and is really quite insipid.”

In the end it’s Becky you watch. “She’s a very modern character, because her behaviour is now almost the norm,” says Baron. “She’ll sleep with anyone to gain advantage. She has an edge of enjoyable wickedness, and she’s genuinely talented and charismatic,” but she has to finish badly.

Vanity Fair runs from November 7 to November 30 Box office: 01392 493 493