Rapturous applause and dancing in the stalls greeted the cast of Dreamboats Aand Petticoats, as the show opened at York’s Grand Opera House.

The musical follows the story of spotty, shy, yet talented teen Bobby, played by understudy James Nitti, and his friends at St Mungo’s youth club on their journey through adolescence to stardom in 1961.

The show is marketed as “the greatest days of your life”, and this is both its greatest charm and its downfall. It is undeniably about an era, and therefore sentimentality played a huge part. The plotline is obvious, uncomplicated, and yet likeable. It has glitz and shimmer, and pulls off two-and-a-half hours saturated with indelible smiles and songs handpicked solely from the late 1950s and 1960s. Moments of particular note were Poetry In Motion and Donna.

Equally, a slow-motion fight scene was an excellent pace halter in a production set at 100mph. Equally, Terry Winstanley’s performance as Phil with the song Things served as relief from the restless world of teenage love interest; the musical proved it could capture the trials of both youth and age and therefore retain its currency.

Elizabeth Carter brought sweetness and wit to the role of Laura, and her performances in the duet Runaway/Who’s Sorry Now, and of To Know Him Is To Love Him, were truly stunning.

Nitti’s rendition of Only The Lonely reduced the audience to putty in his singalong hands, and Donna, played by Anna Campkin, delivered witticisms and hulla-hooping with a cattiness that was infectious.

The musical is not flawless – sadly the band’s musical skills were tainted by what they lacked in dancing – but the vocals were executed with melodic and aesthetic precision, the skirts were twirled with grace and vigour, and the audience were enthralled throughout. It’s at the Opera House until Saturday – go and have a taste.

Review by Emily Heggadon