THE tale of six youngsters competing in a spelling competition, this delightful little musical was given a suitably vibrant treatment by Showstoppers.

Staged with verve and wit the production made great use of the auditorium space and was beautifully lit. The musical numbers were well arranged and there was some nicely-conceived dance routines.

Drawing in four members of the audience to play spelling bee contestants was a good joke, which worked pretty well, and was much appreciated by the audience.

The real focus, however, was the talented main cast. Adults playing children can be difficult to carry off, but here each of the six children was carefully drawn and convincingly presented.

Each actor’s/child’s moment in the sun was handled with panache. Josephine Ssemuyaba (Rona Peretti), Andy Sugden (Vice Principal Panch) and Peter Bridgwood (Mitch Mahoney) equally deserve praise.

Karen Robson