KATS has proved, once again, that you don’t need to travel far to enjoy quality theatre in the South Hams.

Kingsbridge Amateur Theatrical Society are performing Entertaining Angels, written by Richard Everett and directed by Mike Davies, at Malborough Village Hall until Saturday.

One of KATS’ lesser-known plays, Entertaining Angels was first performed in 2006 with Penelope Keith (The Good Life and To The Manor Born) and takes place in the vicarage garden of Grace, a vicar’s wife whose husband Bardolph has just died and whose sister Ruth has come to visit from her missionary in Uganda.

This play will have you laughing out loud, and crying too, as the five-person cast takes you on a journey through an emotional rollercoaster that asks profound questions about family, faith, morality and truth.

Throughout the play, family secrets come out, a new vicar with a decidedly un-godly journey to her faith moves in to the vicarage, and Grace is forced to confront the reality of her relationships with her husband, sister and daughter.

Grace is played by the always amazing Christine Bonner. A stalwart of KATS, Christine has often taken lead roles in their performances and once again she was flawless, with more lines than any person should rightfully be able to remember.

Grace’s slightly-off-the-wall sister Ruth was played Jules McColl, who, along with the rest of the cast, managed the delicate task of being very funny and very poignant. Her comic timing was on point but you also wanted to rush the stage to hug her by the end of the play.

Jenny Wood plays Sarah, the incoming vicar. Her character deals with serious themes and Jenny manages to do so while also making Sarah very likeable and friendly.

Grace’s daughter Jo is played by Bethan Tucker. Jo ends up the person stuck in the middle of the family drama and Bethan plays her conflict and need to bring her family together expertly, making you feel her character being pulled in two different directions throughout the whole performance.

Grace’s late husband Bardolph is played by Mike Davies. Despite being dead, he appears throughout the play, though only communicating with Grace. As the play develops you understand that he is much more than just the parish vicar and his musings by the stream frame the past and present of the story brilliantly.

Talking of the stream, the set was one of the best I’ve seen from KATS, which is saying something since Lin Rowe and her team are renowned for their beautifully painted backdrops.

With a small stage such as KATS have in Malborough Village Hall, the ability to create a world with two separate locations, without scenery changes, is amazing, and the attention to detail is quite extraordinary.

Despite the talent on offer, the fact that KATS have chosen a less well-known play seems to have impacted their ticket sales. Wrongly, in my humble opinion. Anything this team of volunteers puts their mind to turns to gold and there is no chance you will leave disappointed.

Tickets are still available to see Entertaining Angels in Malborough for tonight and tomorrow night, with performances starting at 7.30pm. Visit their website for more information: www.kats-kingsbridge.co.uk. Support your local theatre, it is so worth it.