In a week in which the value and deficiencies of amateur dramatics were thoroughly aired in the letters column of The Times, it was instructive to have the thoughts of a master on the subject. Alan Ayckbourn supplies these in his 1984 comedy A Chorus of Disapproval, which is being given a spirited revival, under director Tim Luscombe, at the Mill at Sonning dinner theatre.

While it is fair to say that Ayckbourn takes an 'affectionate look' - as the expression goes - at the world of amateur theatre, the thespians to whom he introduces us are hardly deserving of much affection. Indeed, being unpleasant in some way or other seems almost to be a qualification for membership of the Pendon Amateur Light Opera Society (Palos).

We meet the players as they embark on rehearsals for their latest production, of John Gay's Beggar's Opera. First, though, we meet their newest recruit, Guy (Clive Hayward), as he undergoes a none-too-rigorous audition (Palos is not an exclusive club) by director Daffyd Llewellyn (Rod Arthur), a former professional actor turned small town solicitor. During this test, for which he daringly performs that Welsh 'anthem' All Through the Night, we learn that Daffyd is fiercely (and very comically) proud of being Welsh and that Guy is a rather nervous, nice quiet chap, recently bereaved as is eventually made clear.

But you know what they say about quiet chaps. And you can certainly say it about Guy. Once he is on board he starts to have enormous success with the lady members, rather mirroring that of Gay's character Macheath who - after various promotions - Guy eventually finds himself playing. He scores first with Daffyd's homely wife (Claire Carrie). before moving on to the extremely tarty Fay (Shona Lindsay), when he eventually twigs that she is after him. The scene in which he attends a wife-swapping party with Fay and her spivvy husband (Richard Attlee) is particularly funny, even by Ayckbourn's always high standards of humour. This is because the innocent Guy is unaware of the nature of the occasion and arranges to take an (unseen) lady companion who is aged over 70. But, as with most of this great playwright's work, there is a serious side to the drama - not least in his comments about theatre. As Daffyd puts it in a splendid speech: "Anything you want to mention's more important than theatre to most of them . . . This place, you tell them you're interested in the arts, you get messages of sympathy. Get well soon."

This production makes a powerful case for the value of theatre. With its large and talented cast, it offers an absorbing and amusing evening of entertainment. It is fitting that so fine a piece of work should be delivered as the Mill is celebrating its 25th anniversary. Long may it continue to keep its customers satisfied.