THE UK's most popular hormone-enhanced musical remains a theatre boss's dream as every seat is snapped up and small children rub shoulders with great grannies to shooby-dooby do-wop to their hearts' content. An ageing beefcake-sized male cast makes us struggle to recognise the Rydell High School angst of skinny 17-year-olds but amiable Jonathan Wilkes is immensely enjoyable, topping the bill as Danny Zuko, the Mr Cool who falls for a geekish girl. Mr W's dance steps won't give 1978 film star John Travolta sleepless nights, but the fact that it was the year Wilkes was born certainly might.

Plenty of punch and panache from the creative team fails to hide the fact that debutante Suzanne Carley struggles to deliver the important singing performance of Sandy, who transforms from cardiganed girl next-door to leather-clad ladette. Being blonde with a big smile isn't quite enough. Mary Doherty is one of the best Rizzos on tour for a while and the role of overweight Jan allows another fine young singer, Karen Holmes, to capture our attention. Jason Capewell hams it up beautifully in the twin roles of DJ Vince Fontaine and high-pitched Teen Angel in Frenchy's dream scene.

Overall the effect is more rinky-dink than beauty school dropout, but I never thought I'd see terms like Cats and Chicks and Bombshell having to be explained as 1950s slang terms in the programme notes. Strangely, Mooning didn't have to be.

* Runs until Saturday. Box Office: 0870 905 5060.

Published: 14/07/2004