Cormac Richards writes for the Herald.

It’s bonkers, it’s barmy, it’s brilliant. Following on from Patrick Barlow’s take on ‘The 39 Steps’ last year, the same team have taken on Barlow’s version of the epic ‘Ben Hur’, a tale of the Christ. A theatre company of just four (The Daniel Veil Collective) present every aspect of the story whilst trying not to let their personal lives get in the way. The quartet of performers juggle many characters, a plethora of ridiculous props, dances, accents, costumes and wigs in an entertainment which is off the scale of silliness.

The final play in the 2024 Summer Season is, without doubt, the most difficult play to stage and make work this year; it is a triumph and so full of joy throughout to keep you happy for days.

This is a truly ensemble production; whilst the actors strut their stuff on stage, Rhys Cannon and James Prendergast keep the multitude of technical challenges under control. Director, Andrew Beckett’s great skill is to know just how far to allow the actors to push the levels of ridiculousness.

In the titular role, Charlie Bryant, once again, offers a showcase of his endless talents; an actor of great range, comedically adept and not a bad dancer either. Josh Coley needs to do very little to engage the audience in humour, a natural laughter-maker, he juggles the villain of the piece, Messala, with a unique portrayal of Jesus and a very funny camp waiter - he is comedy gold. Dominic McChesney, fresh from playing the lead in the thriller ‘Deathtrap’ last week, once again displays his brilliance in the comedy genre. Holly Ashman must have the most character and costume changes; walking off in one outfit and instantly returning in another is like an optical illusion; her timing is spot on and her comic skills shine. What a cast!

The four deliver the double-entendres, cheesy jokes and brilliant dialogue with great relish to the utter joy of the audience who are deeply engaged throughout; not least in the ‘audience participation’ segment which could fall on its face, but is a sequence which animates everyone and brings the house down.

A memorable production for all the right reasons; one may never watch Charlton Heston and Stephen Boyd thrash about in chariots in quite the same way again.

And so the 2024 Summer Season comes to a close on a perfect note. Sidmouth audiences have been treated, once again, to an astonishing summer of productions; the standards are sky high and the entertainment off the scale. The theatrical world is a better place for the Manor Pavilion Theatre and the Summer Play Season; may it live long and prosper!