Abbey Brass set the pace with some rattling good seaside tunes as the audience waited for the Abingdon Drama Club's production of Bob Larbey's new play Sand Castles to get underway in the Abbey Centre last Saturday evening, writes Helen Peacocke.

Sponsored by BT, the Club were one of 100 amateur dramatic groups raising the curtain on this comical play's world premiere and a splendid job they made of it.

Set beside three beach huts in a fashionable seaside town, Sand Castles was written specially for amateur groups such as the Abingdon Drama Club who were able to make much of the fact it provides several major roles and loads of walk-on parts too. The Pattersons (played by Keith Hales and Eileen Bagshaw) set the scene with their nice cup of tea, made seconds after unlocking their beach hut for the summer season. They are joined by the Billets who know the rules of beach hut living too, even if Bernice Billet (Laura Ridout) prefers sparkling wine to tea and her husband Stan (John Hawkins) is a car salesman who likes organising people, but seldom gets it right. All would have been well if newcomers had not invaded their territory. As soon as the vacant beach hut is taken over by Doug (Duncan Blagrove) and his two nieces (Leonie Forman and Stephanie Kennedy) things get out of hand.

Is are they really his nieces? Does he really own a chain of fish and chip shops and does he love Bernice's sister (Ruth Lester) or is he just out for a good time?

Then there are holidaymakers from the beach below who threaten to spoil the pattern of the beach-hutters' peaceful sojourn by the sea. They add a colourful comic touch to a play which provides an unexpected twist at the end, such that everything that has gone before has to be re-assessed. The club handled the script like professionals. The timing was perfect thanks to director Judy Bridgland, the sets were colourful and the acting as convincing as anything one would enjoy in a large theatre.

Sand Castles can be seen tonight and tomorrow at the Abbey Centre, Abingdon. See theatre listings for box office details.