"Duck!"

shouts someone from behind the bar of an otherwise tranquil country pub. At least, I think it was a pub. As I look back, it's hard to be sure, such was the frenetic nature of the scene. But I certainly recall a flying duck, hurled across the stage and landing not far in front of my seat.

 

It looked a little like a decoy duck, one of those carved wooden waterfowl used to attract real ducks in the wild, which now turn up at antique fairs as desirable collector's items. If I'd had the time, I'd probably have considered the creature's composition. Was it hand carved or moulded plastic? Was it a vintage decoy, or something more recent? It clearly wasn't an early Egyptian clay version, formed on the banks of the Nile. But as a decoy duck, could it be suggesting a theme of deception? Alas, there was no time to consider, as another flying object flew across the room.

 

"Keep your hair on!"

 

This time the airborne prop was a wig, and as the audience laughed out loud, appreciating the comic timing and sheer absurdity of everything that was going on around us, I couldn't help but wonder. A decoy duck? A wig? Perhaps everything was not as it seemed?

 

And indeed, if I'm perfectly honest, things were not quite what I'd expected when the tickets were booked. Before the show, I imagined something dark, brooding and serious. And possibly slower in pace. A glass of wine, perhaps, suspended motionless in the centre of the stage by an unseen hand, or an empty rocking chair gently swaying to and fro.  And while the show did include illusion, it was delivered with a nod and a wink, and a great deal of fun. This was fast paced, high energy comedy.

 

It was super-charged. It was audience interactive. It was, at times, pantomime. The timing was great, the direction audacious (take a bow, Ben Mowbray). It was self-deprecating, too. And all performed by just three actors playing multiple parts, embroiled in a costume change frenzy, and who, along with the flying decoy duck, threw themselves into their roles and hurled themselves across the stage.

 

Daniel Davies masterfully anchored the madness with an understated calm which slowly unravelled as events commanded. Rhys Harris-Clarke formed an instant connection with the audience and sustained a real sense of affection throughout the show. And Georgina Sockett was genuinely outstanding, including a turn as the local vicar which merits a very special mention.

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A truly wonderful night's entertainment.

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The play still runs until June in various locations, and further details can be found on the Our Star Theatre Company's website below. If you are local to Torbay, it will be in Brixham May 22nd, and Plymouth the day before.

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And more good news. The theatre company will be returning to the Palace Theatre, Paignton this autumn with The Three Musketeers. If it is anything like their Invisible Man, it will simply be a MUST SEE !!!

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(This article was written by Tim, at Fenston Stamps on May 12th 2026)

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For further information on the play, or other work by the same theatre company, please visit their website below:

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Our Star Theatre Company | Ledbury | ourstartheatrecompany.com

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