The cast of the latest Dreamboats & Petticoats Musical had the audience dancing in the aisles and singing along to the greatest hits of the late 50s and 60s

The audience were jiving – and doing The Mashed Potato, The Hully Gully and the Twist – in the aisles at Eastbourne’s Congress Theatre as the cast of Dreamboats & Petticoats brought back the good times along with the sound of the Fifties and Sixties.

Music fans of all ages packed the theatre to sing along, sway and dance in every available space as the latest instalment of the hit musical featured an incredible sound track including Eddie Cochran’s C’Mon Everybody, The Supremes’ Stop! In the name of Love and Roy Orbison’s classic Oh, Pretty Woman.

But it wasn’t just the non-stop performance of some of the most iconic hits of the decades which gave us Rock ’n’ Roll, the blues, and pop that had everyone up on their feet and belting out the lyrics.

While the musical was inspired by the Dreamboats and Petticoats best-selling albums and popular musicals of the same name, this new show, the third instalment, is a feel-good love story bursting with charm, wit and nostalgia that’s just as catchy as the toe-tapping tunes.

Created by Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran, the talented writers behind TV classics Shine on Harvey Moon, Birds of a Feather, and The New Statesman, Dreamboats and Petticoats Bringing on Back the Good Times finds Laura with a successful solo career while her boyfriend Bobby is in the shadows re-joining his former group Norman and The Conquests and playing at the local youth club.

Cue plenty of soul-searching, misunderstandings, a season at Butlins and an appearance at the Eurovision Song Contest – hosted by the hilarious Kenneth Williams (oh don’t!), played by the brilliant David Benson – before they are back together and enjoying the good times again.

Mesmerising performances include Joseph Lukehurst as Norman, the Elvis Presley-wannabe with a wife, baby – and a roving eye. Oozing confidence as well as plenty of sexy moves and a pitch-perfect voice, Joseph has all the ladies in the audience swooning from the first note of the show’s first number C’Mon Everybody.

Even though he’s a serial flirt and cheat, Joseph makes Norman a loveable bad boy every woman believes she can tame.

Playing his anthesis, as the self-doubting Bobby with stage fright, is Jacob Fowler who will be more than a little familiar to Little Mix fans. He supported the female supergroup in his band Since September on their sold-out Confetti tour after winning the BBC One prime-time show Little Mix: The Search in 2020.

His is the stand out voice of the show, singing everything from Sealed With A Kiss to Oh, Pretty Woman and the title tune, Bringing on Back the Good Times.

But proving he still has it is Sixties original teen idol Mark Wynter, who had hits with singles Venus in Blue Jeans and Go Away Little Girl, playing Larry, Laura’s sometimes ruthless manager. Now 79, Mark dazzled his old fans while gaining some new, younger ones as he sang, danced and showed off his acting chops.

As the hits kept on coming, the evening flew by and ended with generations of the same family – from children through to grans and great-grannies – up on their feet and singing out loud.

A nostalgic trip down memory lane for those who loved the songs the first-time round, and an exciting discovery of some of the best tunes ever written by some of the world’s greatest artists for a modern, young audience, this is a show for all the family. Just make sure to take your dance shoes along with your ticket.

Dreamboats & Petticoats Bringing On Back The Good Times is at the Congress Theatre Eastbourne until Saturday 13 August, 2022. Tickets are priced from £18 with concessions available including OVATION* members and under 16’s £10 off! (*first night, top 2 prices). To book call the box office on 01323 412000 or www.eastbournetheatres.co.uk .