Director Stephen Outhwaite sails close to the wind in his choice of show for Flying Ducks Youth Theatre's tenth anniversary production. Not even Cameron Mackintosh could "save the Whale" from West End closure after only 15 weeks.

Initiated in Oxford in 1991, Robert Longden and Hereward Kaye's crackers musical is an unlikely union of Herman Melville's classic tale, St Trinian's fashions, Julian Clary camping and Jim Davidson blue pantomime sauce. "What about my Dick, head," asks Nicola Elliot's young playwright, Ishmael, seeking approval of her play from the headmistress at the finale, when butter still won't melt in her mouth despite the umpteenth Dick double entendre.

Moby Dick! The Musical is a queer fish (oh all right, mammal), but youth theatre thrives on such challenges. Yes, you want to put on a good show, but the journey is as important as the destination - and on dress-rehearsal night this show just about arrives in one piece, with smiles aplenty and pats on the back for the driver.

Longden's plot is mad as muffins. St Godley's, a girls' school in the chaotic mould of St Trinian's, is facing closure, the bank vultures are hovering, and the only chance of survival is to stage a fundraising play. Sixth-former Ishmael just happens to have written her musical version of Moby Dick, and the nutty head (a cross-dressing Alex Deadman) is quick to seize the role of the all-at-sea, whale-fixated captain Ahab.

Apparently the original setting was a swimming pool, but Flying Ducks' director-designer sticks to the terra firma of school-hall wood. Cue schoolgirls dressed like Britney Spears, and broad, camp performances that echo panto and music hall, with a principal-boy turn from Ellie Jefferson's Starbuck, pop-princess pink fluffiness from Nicola Howlett's Stubb and Friday-night flirting from Katy Dungworth's Esta.

Deadman's National Youth Theatre pedigree shines through his performance as an Ahab nuttier than a Topic bar, Matt Dick acts his socks off as little Pip; and Emily Mantle goes slightly scarily native as Queequeg.

Jamie Stewart's choreography gives everyone in the big cast a whale of a time, as Flying Ducks splash around in Moby Dick with summer-holiday joy.

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Updated: 10:37 Thursday, April 14, 2005