Review: Come Dancing

And recreating the feel of the long-since defunct venue in the Theatre Royal's intimate auditorium is just the first of a number of striking things about the evening.

One nice touch is having the cast and audience mingle before and during the show, with some up on stage dancing to the live band, as if they really are at the Palais on a Saturday night out.

Davies wanted to bring "Come Dancing" to Stratford for its premiere - his relationship with the theatre stretches back over 25 years - and judging from the enthusiastic reception from the packed house it was a wise move.

The legendary Kinks' frontman has long-sinced earned his place in the pantheon of great songwriters, thanks to a welter of classics like "Waterloo Sunset", "Days" and "Lola".

He has always been one of the best at producing witty slices of English life in song and this is no different, albeit one that's been toasted, buttered and thickly spread with syrup.

Davies himself narrates the tale and seems a touch nervous as he shuffles on to the stage clutching a guitar before launching into a truncated version of Kinks hit "Tired of Waiting".

But he soon settles into the role and allows the rest of the cast to come to the fore as the story develops.

The plot, built around a love story, is painted in broad brushstrokes, touching on the themes of bad lads, racism, teenage angst and family secrets familiar from any number of kitchen sink dramas from the period.

But what sets this production apart are the well-crafted original songs, as you would expect, and the uniformly excellent cast who inject the production with the required levels of energy during some impressive song and dance routines.

The singing is uniformly excellent with Gemma Salter, as the tragic Julie, and Alasdair Harvey as fading dance-hall maestro Frankie particularly outstanding.

Salter, in her first major role, certainly looks one to watch with an impressive vocal range and no little acting ability.

There are occasional mawkish moments, as in any musical, but there's plenty of humour (Stevenage will never seem the same again after one tongue-in-cheek homage) and a tinge of tragedy too.

Kinks fans might be disappointed not to have more of the band's back catalogue represented but then that's not the point of the evening.

There's no denying the warmth and charm of "Come Dancing", and the Stratford audience lapped it up, finishing the evening on their feet for the final number.

Davies himself admits it is still a work in progress in some respects but he should be applauded for refusing to rest on his laurels, unlike some of his contemporaries.

With a bit of tweaking this is one musical that could well transfer to the West End.

"Come Dancing" is at Stratford Theatre Royal until October 25.

For ticket details phone 020 8534 0310 or visit www.stratfordeast.com