A VILLAGE in Teignbridge is set to come alive with laughter and dance as an acclaimed theatre company brings its latest show to the village hall.

Combeinteignhead Village Hall will come alive on Friday, June 13 at 7pm, as the acclaimed Multi Story Theatre Company bring their latest show, Last Dance Saloon, to the village.

Presented in partnership with Villages in Action, Last Dance Saloon is a poignant and playful tale of two people who meet at a tango school in Buenos Aires.

She’s a widow from rural Devon, he’s an ex-pat living in Chile, both looking for something more out of life.

They meet, they dance, they tell stories together, and their lives are irrevocably changed.

Tango weaves through the play as the relationship develops, driven by the wit and playfulness of the couple and the intensity of one of the most passionate dances in the world. But broader family responsibilities keep them apart.

She’s a widowed farmer, trying to support her daughter in taking over the farm; he’s a retired Comms Exec for a mining company, supporting his son through divorce.

They maintain a long-distance relationship fuelled by occasional tango weeks in Buenos Aires.

‘The family relationships are instantly recognisable’, says Gill Nathanson, co-director of the company.

‘Mother-daughter, father-son, whichever side of the generational divide you are, you’re likely to empathise with the mix of exasperation and undying love that swills around the two families.

‘Those relationships are amplified by the stories they make up together - tales that spring from South American myth but take flight to reflect the concerns of the tellers.

‘It’s fair to say that, like the characters we play, we’re no longer in the first flush’ added Gill.

“We’re celebrating the stage of life we’ve arrived at but also quizzing ourselves about what we’re handing on to our children and grandchildren.”

As research for the play, Gill and her fellow actor Bill Buffery joined a tango class in North Devon where they’re based.

‘We watched tango from the sidelines when we were working in South America,’ says Bill, ‘but dancing it is something else.

‘We are totally hooked, caught in its grip’.

For more information or to book tickets visit villagesinaction.co.uk