Gentle seaside comedy has you reaching for the bucket and spade

Sleaford Little Theatre’s rendition of ‘Sandcastles’ can be best summed up by debut director Nigel Guilliatt as having ‘quiet comic charm’, telling the tale of beach hut-owning acquaintances who find their world turned upside down by invading outsiders.

The cast of seasoned regulars, invigorated with a healthy crop of newcomers delivered, polished performances throughout.

I can say they certainly lived up to the script which came with serious pedigree, penned by legendary screenwriter Bob Larbey, of The Good Life and Ever Decreasing Circles – and you can definitely see reflections of the latter’s characters in Sand Castles, not least Kei Bailey as the uptight salesman Stan Billet owing more than a little to Richard Briers’ ‘Martin’.

Kei was energetic and accomplished, expressing just the right amount of middle-class snobbery mixed with disguised inferiority as he breezed in as self-appointed guardian of the beach hut area against riff-raff (requests to use his non-existent toilet!

Laura Davies as his wife Bernice was an ideal foil, steadily demolishing the sparkling white wine and adding some choice one-liners along the way, as the pair generated much of the humour.

David O’Brien and Linda Mallett as William and Margaret book-ended the play, carrying a poignant undertone due to William’s quietly failing health, meaning he viewed life with a degree of unconcerned amusement.

Other notables included the ever-reliable Craig Pakes as rough and ready chip shop owner Doug, who spices things up with a relaxed attitude, Amanda Grant as revolutionary Mrs Penfold who leads a lower class sit-in protest, plus Ralph Mundy as the pottering detectorist who generated laughs and titters despite having barely any lines.

A warm welcome too to Kelly Warran as Pauline’s sister Bernice, who upsets the status quo with a holiday romance.

I must praise the set designers and painters too for some truly authentic-looking beach huts – complete with sand!

Congratulations SLT on your thoroughly enjoyable 75th anniversary show.