An Apple A Day was a great night of entertainment

Written by Hambledon co-founder John Hewer and billed as an hillarious, high-octane and witty comedy, the show certainly had high expectations of itself.

Living up to those expectations was always going to be the tough part though.

Thankfully, the four performers in the cast who played all the parts - Hewer, Robert Kirby, Joseph Lindoe and Joshua Mumby - largely hit the mark in fine style.

Comedies in intimate venues like the Acorn can go one of two ways.

If the audience engage with it and get the humour, it can be a fine evening.

If the audience don’t seem to get it, the playhouse can seem like barn full of tumbleweed.

The odd moment in this show didn’t quite chime with those in the seats.

But, for the most part, everyone was thoroughly in tune and often, absolutely on the same page, so well did the actors engage their subjects.

There was something essentially very British about this piece.

Set in a small rural village and with a collection of comedic characters straight out of the classic comedy guidebook.

And yet Hewer’s script mabage to make them all blend into light and dark comeddy moods, which just added to the enjoyment.

From Miss Plunger’s almost ad-libbed response to being turned down by Dr Free to a climactic death scene done in time to stirring classical music, this show was a hoot.

All the actors were on fine form, led by Hewer’s schemeing Dr Ostrich.

Special mention must also go to Kirby’s excellent double turn at Miss Plunger and classical music-loving butcher Stanley Hackem, Mumby’s gloriously barmy priest Father O’Four and Lindoe’s eavesdropping Mrs Knickerbockerglory.

At the end, we even all got a free badge. Splendid stuff.

John Smith