In a musical which was first produced in 1937 it is not surprising that much of the book feels distinctly dated, stale even, though it was updated in the 1980’s by Stephen Fry. However, much of the music still retains its freshness and effervescence.

With numbers like ‘Leaning on a lampost’, ’The sun has got its hat on’ and particularly ‘The Lambeth waltz’ this is a show that cannot fail to please.

Musically it is an interesting melange of styles with echoes of Gilbert and Sullivan ( a point emphasised in act two by a scene that is unashamedly based on the operetta ‘Ruddigore’) and the music of the jazz age and music hall. In many ways it is also reminiscent of Shaw’s ‘Pygmalion’ and its musical spin off ‘My Fair Lady’. This performance was strongly led by the two leads – the excellent Jade Moore as girlfriend Sally, and Joseph Tulloch as Bill Snibson, the cockney cheeky chappie . He was clearly the star of the show in his portrayal of the loveable heir to an earldom. He injected energy and momentum and his multi -faceted performance was assured throughout . This included some good comedic moments - especially in act two which included strong scenes with John Davies (Sir John Tremayne) and, memorably, while rolling around on the floor with a stuffed tiger’s head! As well as this he provided