Before the curtain officially rises, I had the opportunity to catch a preview performance of KATS’ production of Rick Abbott’s “Play On”. If this sneak peak was any indication of what’s to come, audiences are in for a real treat with this gag- filled farce, laced with absurdity, catastrophe, and punchline after punchline like a cascading of comedic dominoes.

The play follows the Parcombe Regis Theatrical Society (PRATS for short) in their production of Murder Most Foul…No not the Agatha Christie novel you may be thinking of, but rather eccentric and unwaveringly enthusiastic author Phyllis Montague's take on the classic title. Phyllis was played expertly by Jackie Hodges whose character can never seem to quite decide what the plot of her play actually is. Exasperated director Gerry, portrayed excellently by one half of the real directing team, Christine Bonner, tries desperately to pull the ever evolving play together, and nail the nuances. Whilst the PRATS didn’t necessarily nail this, the KATS themselves certainly did. Jules and Christine, the dynamic directing duo, produced a play that will have tears streaming down your face as it explores the hilarity that can be found inside a local theatre group. Jules McColl, an experienced actor on the KATS stage, also played Polly Benish, an overbearing mother with a short fuse who sees herself as the star PRAT. She absolutely nailed the character, alongside Brynn Walsh playing her son Henry who brought maturity and physicality to the role; watch out for his outstanding facial expressions! Saul Watson and Billy Carewe, played by Andy Wood and Oli van Es respectively, also embraced the physical comedy of their roles, literally throwing themselves into every stumble with fearless abandon. Both were brilliant! They both play the love interest of Violet, a slightly ditsy ingenue, portrayed energetically by Jasmine Cox. Another first class performance. Newcomer to KATS, Daryna Handzeshyna shone as Smitty, who is more interested in passing her biology exam than bringing Phyllis’ play to life. With her biology books backstage, they are under the feet of long suffering and overworked stage manager Aggie, played perfectly by Dina White whose character has simply run out of patience with the PRATS. I do wonder if it was Aggie who named the group?

The real Stage Manager, Simon Mills, ensured that everything ran smoothly and the scene changes were seamless. Karen Sandy-Higham’s set was designed to perfection, with everything intentionally made to be just slightly off kilter, a difficult feat when you’re used to creating the high quality sets that KATS are known for. Karen and her team had the added difficulty of ensuring that audiences could see backstage to witness the behind the scenes high jinks, and they rose to this challenge beautifully. Karen even found time to briefly appear on stage!

The costume team, made up of Jill Brock and Christine Brooker also went above and beyond with the perfectly imperfect brief, making costumes that both dazzled the audience and added to the hilarity of the action.

The lighting provided by Luke Adams and the Sound by Stuey Norsworthy from AVLX, perfectly complimented every scene, being implemented at just the right time, (which was often intentionally the totally wrong time) in order to aid in the hilarity of the show. Their professional contributions really added dimension and brought the play to life.

As always with a KATS production, there is a huge team behind the scenes who have worked tirelessly to bring this play to life, and it is safe to say their efforts paid off.

“Play On” really is a must watch production and I would highly encourage anyone to go along and watch for a fun filled evening full of mirth and mayhem.

Make sure to grab your tickets at KATS Kingsbridge or tickets can be purchased at the door.