It would be wrong to describe Salad Days as anything else but the nearly perfect musical comedy – “nearly” only to leave room for perfection when it does occur. It is charming, touching, sentimental, melodious, lively and dreamy, but above all it celebrates the joy of youth.

Walmsley Operatic Society, which is currently presenting it in the Church Hall, meet the challenge with enthusiasm and the result is an exuberant evening’s entertainment which sends it’s audience home, tapping its feet and singing – which is the purpose of musical comedies anyway.

There is some particularly good comedy in this show. Policemen are always comic, especially in those old-fashioned helmets and Harry Lee as PC Boot and Bill Steel as the Inspector are a riot of fun.

Civil servants, bishops and other pillars of the establishment are gently debunked and it is difficult not to fall in love with the piano. Wilf Lea as the Tramp, Fiona Steel as Jane and Ben Lea as Timothy weave a web of romance as insubstantial as gossamer.

Joyce Richardson is the producer.

Charles Petry