Puffball skirts. Tick. Stone-washed denim. Tick. Rolled-up jacket sleeves. Tick. Dodgy mullet. Tick.

With the checklist of Eighties references complete, this show whisked its audience back to a time when hair and shoulders were as big as a soft rock ballad. The story – hopeless romantic Robbie Hart drifts along with his band (Simply Wed) singing cheesy love songs at New Jersey weddings, only to turn bitter when he’s jilted at the alter – could be set in any American era from the 1950s onwards, but it’s plonked firmly in 1985.

We know this because people wear fingerless gloves and fluorescent leg-warmers, and dance with briefcases and brick-like mobile phones.

This is an unashamed celebration of the Eighties – and the audience loved it.

Just about every Eighties cultural reference, from Dynasty to Hong Kong Fooey, was there. “Can’t wait till the chicks come flocking to my Flock of Seagulls flick,” went one line. They even managed to shoe-horn the Dirty Dancing lift, moonwalking and a snippet of the Chariots of Fire theme into the same number! It was delightfully tongue-in-cheek and, unlike the movie on which it’s based, it went all out to look authentic. Ringlet-haired Natalie Casey looked more Eighties than neatly-bobbed Drew Barrymore ever did.

Nice touches included some robotic dancing from a bride in a meringue dress, the ‘greed is good’ Wall Street send-up and some hilarious Eighties lookalikes. Keisha Atwell’s fabulous Tina Turner totally stole the closing scene. Jonathan Wilkes proved why he’s one of the UK’s best musical theatre leading men, delivering a lovely performance as Robbie, turning from amiable loser into ranting cynic.

Natalie Casey as sweet waitress Julia brought some welcome feistiness to the role and great performances too from Simon Lipkin, Nick Hayes, Jodie Jacobs and Camille Devine.

With a catchy original score, complete with synths, this is harmless fun, especially for those of us old enough to remember it all first time round.

Runs until Saturday.

Emma Clayton