Following in the Footsteps of Comic Relief, Slapstick Supper (14/15 October) put to work the musical, vocal and comedic talents of members of the Space Project team, drawn from the congregation of St John’s, Broadbridge Heath, for a good cause. Proceeds from the supper revue have been donated to support livestock and agricultural projects in the developing world.

As the television producers of “Red Nose days” would undoubtedly confirm, embedding heartfelt messages about world poverty in family entertainment while remaining upbeat is a difficult balance to maintain, but one which Slapstick Supper’s director, Hugo Ellis, managed adroitly. The review’s medley of songs, sketches, monologues and poems were framed by an introduction that reflected on the in-built human need for peace and co-operation and a finale which challenged its audience to “make a new tomorrow”, where poverty is history.

Amongst rich pickings from the British tradition of comic writing, some specifically local ingredients could be savoured too; a local doctor engaging in distinctly unorthodox brain surgery, a schoolteacher made up in drag, and a truly Pythonesque scenario, a local cheese shop running out of speciality produce. On a darker note, the Space company and a children’s choir sang Adrian Plass’s sombre parody of “Away in a Manger” where the death from hunger of an African child is juxtaposed with the birth of Jesus. Food for thought, indeed.