Dick Barton- Special Agent

Published Monday 19 May 2008 at 10:15 by Natalie Anglesey

Phil Wilmott’s affectionate pastiche of the lantern-jawed hero who captured the imagination of 15 million listeners in the BBC radio serial, Dick Barton - Special Agent, manages to entertain fans and those who’d never even heard of the famous hero.

Set on the small Coliseum stage in front of Alison Heffernan’s giant radio, Kevin Shaw’s production reveals a multitude of twists and turns in a convoluted plot.

This mini-time capsule reflects the post war, class-ridden era in which our upper-crust hero and his working-class assistants, Cockney Snowy and Scottish Jock, keep Britain in safe hands.

Musical director Howard Gray oversees the six excellent actors who, with quick-fire changes and cross-dressing, play several roles, singing and dancing their way through send-ups of Cabaret, Gilbert and Sullivan and a terrific version of Nessun Dorma.

There are hilarious performances from the ensemble cast, but particularly outstanding are Justin Brett as suave Barton and Matt Connor as Jock, who battle against Simeon Truby’s exciting arch-villain Baron Scarheart. Although David Westbrook wins the prize for playing five different roles.

The witty, tongue-in-cheek script is great fun, although some sexual allusions cancels its appeal as family entertainment. All that is required is a sharpening of pace and more of the great theme tune, played much louder, to cover the hiatus between scenes.

Younger members of the audience, who had never heard of Dick Barton, claimed that it didn’t spoil their enjoyment of this highly entertaining show.