It’s the sort of tale that would maybe colour the corner of a page or feature in an innocuous looking newspaper column piece. Fodder for titbit news, nothing more. A quirky story of the bizarre and unusual.

However, All Saints writer Nicola Baldwin has used this material to develop a rollicking tale of a desperate church, a desperate parish and a desperate situation.

When church volunteer Trissia is threatened with deportation to Sierra Leone, Vicar Stella comes up with a handy solution. Through active encouragement of a sham marriage, Stella unexpectedly becomes embroiled in an eyebrow-raising unethical side line business and the very real threat of a good deed coming drastically undone.

It is perhaps best to put the brakes on any further plot detail there. Not knowing the outline in too much detail would be a happy accident for anyone attending, as the unravelling of events is part of the fun.

However, even if this were not the case, there are enough wry chuckles and dashes of sincerity to ensnare the affection of all but the stoniest of hearts.

It must be said that the biggest revelation here is the cast. They are absolutely outstanding. The dialogue at their mercy is brilliant too. All Saints conjured some of the heartiest and most involuntary laughter that I have ever experienced at the theatre. There is also a neat twist in the latter stages that compounds the clockwork precision of the play.

If criticisms are to be levelled, it could be said that the pieces are tied up too conveniently right at the very end. However, this feels like a minor quibble. It is usually with fear inducing dread that the words ‘feel good so-and-so of the year’ are heard, so instead I will simply say this; book a ticket now.

All Saints runs on Sundays and Mondays at the Kings Head Theatre until August 18 2013.

***** (five stars)