It's 150 miles - as the Albatross flies - from Newcastle-Under-Lyme to the tiny coastal village of Kilnsea, where 100 souls live their quiet lives, to the east of Hull. So you'd think there would have to be a very good reason for The New Vic to stage a play set in such a faraway, isolated, windswept community … where all that moves are wave after wave of migratory birds.  That reason is simple.  “Big Big Sky” is an impeccably conceived, beautifully crafted, well cast and neatly directed stage play that captivates and transports its willing audience in a manner that is so subtle and charming, you hardly notice. It's like being picked up by the incoming tide … and being gently deposited, slightly higher up the sunny beach.

There isn't an albatross of course; that would be too unlucky. But Angie (vivaciously played by Tanya-Loretta Dee) dreams of seeing one; even a White Tailed Eagle would do. Instead, her Bluebell birdwatchers beach Cafe is surrounded by squabbling Arctic Warbles and surreptitious Little Terns, and frequented by the twitchers bent on spotting them.

Her seasonal helper is young Lauren, whose dad, Dennis, is basically the 'village grump.' Roxanne Morgan has a no-nonsense acting style and an etherial singing voice, accompanying herself on guitar for the play's two haunting ballads … that have a distinct air of Benjamin Britten about them.

Every village had a village 'grump' and Simeon Truby is superb in the father role, stowing away numerous plates of pasty and beans (the play waits while he finishes) and taking the world's worst bird photographs.

And there you have the two perfect poles of the play; haunting beauty and keen comedy. It's such a winning combination.

Every plot worth its salt water has a stranger walk into it, and Tom Wells has created the gormless, clumsy character of the young, would-be conservationist Ed, who's after a job ... and finds something for his heart. Sam Baker-Jones beams his way through the play; hopelessly hesitant at first, but determined the birds should return next year. (I'd hate to try one of his rank vegan pizzas, though).

Wells has given them all outstanding ideas to work with. Tanya-Loretta Dee is heartbreaking in her confession that, despite having lost her child, she still, and always will be, a Mum. The writer completes that circle of thought in a most loving way that gives Sam Baker-Jones a fabulous opportunity to be bashful beyond belief.

Simon Truby plays the subtle jealousy and technological frustration of a 50-year-old to a 'T' … and Roxanne Morgan's lilting love songs stop the show.

These four characters are hugely huggable humans, honest and vulnerable, and beset by the domestic trails and tragedies that affect us all; which is what makes this play so appealing. The audience can't help loving and caring about them all. There were audible gasps and quiet shriek of joy all around me.

The whole play takes place within the beach cafe … with projected waves all around it washing over the front row's feet. But, somehow, one is constantly aware of the bigger landscape. There is nowhere to hide in such wide open spaces; nowhere to be cosy and confidential … except in Angie's cafe.

The arc of the play encompasses one migratory year – the flowers in the table vases change with the passing months. The birds and their watchers come for the season and then, as Angie observes, there're gone. And I, like her, felt bereft at the end.

'Big Big Sky' is a most amiable, thoughtful and pleasing play. It's rarely seen. Do catch it before it flies away.

Five Stars

Reviewed by Chris Eldon Lee 

Big Big Sky shows at the New Vic in Newcastle-Under-Lyme until Thursday 24 July