WHAT clever timing by Thornbury Arts Festival to schedule this production on the exact day of the Queen's 90th birthday.

This fond homage by the Ministry of Entertainment to the resilience of British people during World War Two illustrated what it was like in Britain at the time, how people coped and the humour inherent in some situations. The insecurity of children was not ignored, nor the uncertainty for host families whose own children were often fighting overseas.

Ross Harvey and Kate McNab, through quick changes, portrayed an array of characters, from a brother and sister evacuated from London to rural Severn Beach to a resettlement officer, a farmer and his wife giving the evacuees a home, a zany musical ventriloquist and the local bumbling rector.

Their easy charm and quick humour won over the audience, with fun extracted from different situations and memories revived of home cures, the lack of road signs and a knitted swimming costume’s inability to hold up on the beach when wet.

Run Rabbit Run and A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square were sung expressively by Kate, accompanied by the audience. The final rousing rendition of Vera Lynn's We'll Meet Again was a wonderful finale to a funny, quirky and most entertaining evening.