RAIN or Shine Theatre Company - winners of the Buxton Festival Fringe Best Drama Award and renowned for their exquisite outdoor renditions of classical comedy from Shakespeare to Sheridan - is on tour with Merry Wives of Windsor.

A disappointing turnout at Hergest Croft in Kington deserves to be bettered when the company returns Dore Abbey on July 20.

The eight-strong Gloucester-based company includes local actress Kate Izon in the role of Mistress Page.

Kate - who has been acting for only a year - gives a plucky, confident performance as the mischievous wife.

Most of the cast take two or three parts, and the juggling of costumes/accents/wigs and sexes makes for an entertainment in itself.

Andrew Hodges is a very fine Falstaff, who carries the weight (both padded and verbal) with expertise. Alistair Cope engineers the changes between his foppish Slender, French doctor and poor suitor with skill. Credit must also go to Kim Baker, who appears in four guises.

All in, it's a nicely paced farce that makes for a perfect evening's outdoor entertainment.

Audiences are invited to picnic before the al fresco performances, and true to its name, the company perform in all weathers except hurricanes.

Tickets for Abbeydore are available on 01981 570251. For further venues check the web at www.rainorshine.co.uk

Julie Harries