THE opening night of Newport Playgoers’ production of Hi de Hi was delivered to an enthusiastic and responsive audience in a hilarious performance of Paul Carpenter and Ian Gower’s stage adaptation of the 1980’s sit com.

Set in the Maplin’s holiday camp, the story centres on the annual ‘Miss Yellow Coat’ contest, the winner of which will be chosen to work in the new Maplin’s camp in the Bahamas. This gives Peggy the chalet maid, played by Charlotte Webb, an opportunity to achieve her dream of becoming a ‘yellow coat’.

The entire cast did a fantastic job of portraying the familiar characters, with a very realistic portrayal of Gladys Pugh by Angharad Jones, with her sing-song Valleys accent and flirtatious behaviour towards the posh but inept Jeffrey Fairbrother, played by Ryan Salter.  

There was a wonderfully pretentious performance of the Stuart-Hargreaves couple by Claudia Barnes, resplendent in her finery and bling and Richard Dymond with his understated witty banter. 

The creative and clever set design worked well to replicate life in 1959, with bright and colourful costumes, a familiar soundtrack to transport us back in time and audience interaction encouraged by camp host, Ted (Owen Barrett) and his camp greeting, “Hi de Hi!”

A highly entertaining and light-hearted show guaranteed to make you smile.

Julie Benson