If there were only one reason to see The Little Foxes at Fairview Library Theatre, it would be to watch Judy Gans as Regina. As it happens, however, Gans is just the tip of the iceberg in a production that is another winner for Stage Centre Productions.

Iceberg is certainly an apt description for the character of Regina Giddens.

This is woman driven by greed and fueled by contempt for anyone who dares to stand in her way. Yet it is not a role that can't be performed at too fierce a pitch as this is a tightly controlled character who keeps her emotions firmly in check. To watch Gans explore the range and rage of Regina is like a master class in method acting. One moment she is charming Edward Karek as William Marshall over a proposed business deal, the next she is scheming to get more than her share of the riches to come from the deal.

Watch her as she taunts and snarls at her convalescent husband or locks horns with her willful daughter. This is not a woman to be trifled with.

Lillian Hellman's play still packs a powerful punch.

It was first seen in Broadway in 1939 with Tallulah Bankhead playing Regina. Later revivals starred Anne Bancroft, Elizabeth Taylor and Stockard Channing. The film adaptation featured Bette Davis. Ten years after the premiere Mark Blitzstein turned it into an opera called Regina, that uses most of Hellman's script word for word. The play remains popular despite the fact the main characters are quite vicious.

Although the character of Regina is front and center for most of the play there are still plenty of opportunities for the other performers to shine. After all, Regina needs people to go up against. Here James Marhsall and Frank Keenan nastily portray her two conniving brothers. Keenan is particularly cruel to his long-suffering wife, Birdie, played with heartbreakingly simple understatement by Varda Shomrony. She literally looks like an injured bird after suffering her husband's humiliating abuse.

Playing Regina's seriously ill husband, Alan Washbrook cagily navigates the delicate balance of being strong enough to stand up to his wife without ever sacrificing the character's precarious frailty.

All of this works thanks to L. Garth Allen's taught direction that keeps the sometimes-wordy script from ever overshadowing the rising tension of the piece. Allen also designed the opulent drawing room that captures the look and feel of turn-of-the-century mansion in the south. The set alone drew appreciative applause from the opening night audience.

One tiny curiosity: the performers kept pronouncing the leading character's name as Regina (as in the capital of Saskatchewan) when every other version I have seen called her Reg-EE-nah. No matter what you call her, don't miss this wonderful performance of a classic play.

Stage Center Productions presents The Little Foxes at Fairview Library Theatre, 35 Fairview Mall Dr., until March 22. Tickets are $25, $20 for seniors and $15 for students and are available by calling 416-299-5557