Gypsy

Gypsy Rose Lee's mum wasn't just pushy, she was one big monstrous flame-haired American Moma, with a naked ambition to make showbiz stars of her daughters, and she let nothing and no-one stand in her way.

Desperate for a share of the spotlight, she orchestrated their lives stagewards from the start, putting her youngest child, the dainty Baby June, through her paces when she was just two, and billing her as the "tiniest toe-dancer in the world''.

Her eldest, Louise, was a shy, awkward, reluctant 'star' preferring to dance in the boys chorus, or tuck herself out of sight as the front end of Caroline the Cow. It took years for her to reinvent herself, without the help of her disbelieving Moma, to become the highest paid striptease artiste in the business.

Based on the memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, it's a great story, and in 1959 it became a great musical, even the critics agreed on that!

Since the punchy Ethel Merman noisily demonstrated what Moma was made of, it has won awards for the best of everything, and has been toured throughout the world, with Imelda Staunton winning acclaim for her role in the recent West End revival.

Small wonder that the British Theatre Academy, packed as it is with young talent, and dedicated to giving performers from all walks of life the chance to train and act with professionals, grasped this opportunity to show off its finest, produced and directed by Matthew Chandler-Garcia.

The cast is headed by London GP Maria Waters, who as Moma, otherwise known as Madam Rose, truly stars with her big sock-it-to-'em voice, taking charge, elbows out, and never taking "no" for an answer, as she touts her Vaudeville troupe around the States.

Of course, she's rarely off the stage and her brash energy fires-up the rest of the cast, who are out to be, well, nearly as good as she is, from the little 'uns with huge grins, to Jack Osmond as Tulsa, who makes his debut and his mark as 'the cat's miaow' something special, singing and dancing through All I Need Is The Girl.

Madam Rose might be driven, but she is admired, not least by Herbie (Phillip Doyle) who is excellent as the often-defeated theatrical agent, who finds it simpler "to stand up for her, rather than stand up to her".

The squealing Baby June (Chloe Weir) is simply sweet, with Bethan Keens growing her into a convincingly talented adult, and Francesca Barberis deftly transforms herself from diffident performer into a striptease star, via a too-challenging number of costume changes - no wonder she threw them all off, in the end.

Musical director Ryan Macaulay, conducts a brilliantly brash and brassy orchestra, giving it plenty for the grotesque Burlesque trio, Katy Stephens, Rebecca Leaves and Robbin Pierce, singing You Gotta Get A Gimmick, while twirling a tassel or two.

Slick choreography by Drew Varley, splendid costumes by Linda Rees and Tessa Stephens and spot on sound by Aaron Baker, contribute to the entertainment.

Yes, Everything's Coming Up Roses, right now.