FANS of Dusty Springfield will be familiar with the songs making up this compilation, although the lady herself is not present, not even in spirit. The songs are loosely woven into the story, which has three strangers meeting on their nostalgic search for a Sixties relationship oracle known as the Preacher Man. Going back to the Soho location of the music shop he owned, the trio find it has been turned into a trendy coffee shop managed by his son, Simon. Feeling that he must uphold his late father’s reputation, the hapless Simon tries to sort out the love lives of his three new friends, with patchy results ending happily.

The company is an experienced and talented one, with numerous TV and theatre credits. Nigel Richards, who plays Simon, has appeared as the Phantom at Her Majesty’s in London’s West End, and as a vocal soloist at five Proms with the John Wilson Orchestra.

The overall atmosphere is exuberantly camp, with the tiny three-table coffee shop boasting three raunchy waitresses who spend their time bumping and grinding about in Burlesque-type costumes and can’t produce a cup of tea between them. The bemused customers find themselves sharing stories of their broken relationships and hoping that the Preacher Man’s magic will somehow mend them.

The songs, mostly especially written for Dusty Springfield, lend themselves to both solo and ensemble voices, and clever choreography enables the instrumentalists to sing, dance and play all at the same time, making for an amusing and entertaining evening.

Until Saturday February 10 2018. Box Office 01325 405405 or book online at http://www.darlingtonhippodrome.co.uk