A toe tapping, hand-jiving extravaganza comes to the Theatre Royal Windsor as Dreamboats and Petticoats begins its national tour.

A 10th anniversary celebration of the songs and attitudes of the eponymous compilation album on which its based, this Bill Kenwright production relives the heydays of the late fifties and early sixties with a dazzling piece of musical theatre.

The year is 1961, and Bobby, auditioning for a band at the local youth centre and lusting for the vivacious Sue, is outdone on both fronts by the edgy and cool Norman.

As a song writing contest comes up, Bobby joins forces with his best friend Ray’s sister, Laura, to win the competition and prove himself as a budding songwriter and rocker. But twists and turns along the way prove for this to not be as easy a ride as he hoped.

The story is a familiar one, bordering on clichéd, and at first can seem to be little more than a framing device for the array of hit songs on show. Waiting for Godot this is not. But the simplicity and ease at which the story unfolds allows for the wonderful musical numbers and clever jokes (which are amusing, intelligent and more than occasionally saucy) to take centre stage and have an even bigger impact.

And it’s all held together by a talented and multi-disciplinary cast, who act, dance and sing their way through, never letting the pace drop, never rushing and yet never plodding along either.

Every single person on stage, from the leads to the supporting members, performed with gusto, energy and infectiousness, and have clearly been well supported from the technical crew, who have brought to life what could have easily been just another song and dance piece with simple but effective sets and energetic lighting. Director Bob Tomson should be highly commended for bringing together a clearly talented set of people with such unison.

Without giving too much away, there are certain highlights that are worth the entrance fee alone, including several moments of physical comedy and a lovely A capella performance.

And of course, the songs are the real crowd pleasers here. Such was the quality of the singers, actors and musical performers that at times you would have to remind yourself that this was all being played live, and not from a recording.

Although the audience was primarily of an age who would have experienced the trials and tribulations that Bobby and Co went through, this is certainly not a show just for them.

Even if musical theatre is not your thing, even if the rock ’n’ roll era doesn't appeal to you, unless you’re a complete miser, you can’t help but find yourself bopping along to the songs, and this is certainly a show that should be seen; no, heard; no – experienced.

Dreamboats and Petticoats is on at the Theatre Royal Windsor until February 4.