If small really is beautiful then the distilled delights of the Reduced Shakespeare Company must be the fairest in the land.

The RSC – Reduced rather than Royal – ought to come with a government health warning. One evening in their presence will result in aching ribs and a serious increase in laughter lines.

The team – currently including members of its original line-up Austin Tichenor and Reed Martin, and current partner-in-crimes-against-the-serious Matt Rippy – chose the complete history of sports for their topic at The Courtyard last week.

That’s because they’ve already tackled some of the more minor subjects taxing the world’s great minds including the entire History of the World, the Complete Works of Shakespeare and the Bible: the Complete Word of God. All in less than two hours. With a cast of three. And kazoos.

If you haven’t seen the RSC in action, you must. They almost defy explanation, suffice to say that their productions are some of the funniest, cleverest, most irreverent you will ever witness. I defy anyone not to cry… mostly from laughter. They combine wit, satire, slapstick and a genuine affection for whatever subject they take on. And play kazoos.

They manage to extract every last drop of humour from any given situation… even the very serious subject of sport. One of the joys of the RSC is their ability to keep not only each production fresh – but each individual performance. You can watch the show today in Hereford and then again tomorrow in Rhyl – where it will be Rhyl-ly good. But Rhyl-ly different. Mainly because they incorporate local and current references. There were no prizes for identifying they’d select Hereford United as a source of material for their Courtyard show.

It was Bill Shankley who said that football was more serious a matter than life and death, so the RSC take their lives in their hands when they put sport through the shredder and present a fantasy cricket league, populated by real fantasy figures, like Mr Spock and Obi Wan Kenobi; when they present their synchronised swimming routines on dry land and try to explain the history – and appeal – of golf. Love sport or loathe it. I challenge anyone watching not to give their hearts – or at least their kazoos -to the RSC.