Written in 1912, this is nevertheless the first occasion on which the play has been staged in its entirety and in truth it shows - the first act especially, is much too long.

The play tells the story of Barbara Tressidor, a well-to-do 20-something who has left her wealthy but boring husband and eloped to Italy with Jimmy, the son of a coal miner she has known for just three weeks. (Ring any bells?)

Her impetuous action sparks a scandal which strikes at the core of polite British society and has a huge impact on her titled family.

A procession of the affected parties make their way to the isolated Italian villa to do battle in the fight for Barbara as we witness the usual display of Lawrentian emotions - jealously, incomprehension, rage, bafflement, confusion, all vie with one another to take centre stage as Barbara's past catches up with her.

Her mother - the unswerving and bewildered Lady Charlcote, is followed closely by Barbara's incensed father - the stuffshirt Sir William Charlcote, before her distraught estranged husband, Dr Frederick Tressider, forces her to question dramatically the new relationship in her life.

	Jason Hughes is "excellent" as the moody Jimmy

Tortured by the guilt of deserting her devoted, if feeble, husband but passionately in love with Jimmy, Barbara is forced to make a life-changing decision - whether to follow her head or her heart - arguably the central dilemma of all Lawrence's work, of course.

Dramatist Peter Gill from London's pioneering Royal Court Theatre rediscovered the unperformed play in 1967 and The Fight for Barbara was staged at the Mermaid Theatre later that year, although the text used was an edited version, as printed in 1933.

There may yet be a market for that adumbrated version, because, sadly, director Thea Sharrock's is definitely overly long.

That said, the performers do their best to invest new life into a tired and anachronistic work.

	Rebecca Hall grows "magnificently" as Barbara

Sir Peter's talented daughter, Rebecca Hall, starts off slowly before growing magnificently into the challenging role of Barbara, to give a performance that is both captivating and harrowing.

Jason Hughes is excellent as the moody Jimmy and there is strong support from the versatile Ann Penfold as the wounded mother - Lady Charlcote and Col Farrell as a wonderfully anachronistic Sir William Charlcote.

Stealing the show however, among those who bat for Barbara's former life, is her husband Dr Tressider.

William Chubb's performance is assured, accomplished and makes the best throughout of the situation's inherent irony.

And yet the problem remains.

There is a peculiarly contemporary dilemma about Lawrence's work in that it seems to have aged more in the last 20 years than in the previous 50.

Other authors - one thinks of Austen, Dickens, Trollope - Joyce even, can seem fresh and ripe for TV adaptation in a way that Lawrence no longer can.

Watching this somewhat laboured production one is made all too aware of this shortcoming - society changes - the Lawrence canon doesn't seem to.

>>> The Fight for Barbara runs at the Theatre Royal Bath until 6 August