Carnaby Street

The Alhambra

Mini skirts – tick. Groovy dance moves – tick. Psychedelic shirts – tick. Ironic Beatles references – tick.

Every box was crossed in this affectionate tribute to the Sixties, and the movers and shakers who made it the swinging decade.

Carnaby Street was written by music producer and promoter Carl Leighton Pope, who spent his youth hanging out with the likes of The Who and the Yardbirds in Sixties London. Carl drew from his own experiences to create the story of Soho wideboy Jack, who works in the Marquee Club, and Jude, a Liverpool lad who hitch-hikes to London dreaming of pop success.

With a score teeming with crowdpleasers such as Bend Me Shape Me, Do You Love Me, We Gotta Get Out Of This Place and Downtown, this lively show was a nostalgic journey back to an era of change and optimism.

At times it was like watching a corny sitcom, with some lame nods to Sixties pop culture – “why are they called pirate radio stations? Because they arrrrre” – and the authenticity could have done with sharpening up. A groovy DJ said “Next up” which is too 21st century, and I don’t think the word “deffo” was around in the Sixties either, but that’s just nit-picking.

Overall, this was an enjoyable show thanks largely to an excellent young cast.

Strong performances all round, particularly from Aaron Sidwell and Jonny Bower as Jack and Jude, Tricia Adele-Turner, Aimie Atkinson, Mark Pearce and Paul Hazel. Groovy!

Runs until Saturday.