Liverpool Sound & Vision Rating: * * * *

Cast: Kivan Dene, Leanne Rowley, Rachel O’Hare, James Mountain, Jonah Kensett, Luke Wakeman, Grace Mainon.

It is the early 1950s and the country is still recovering from war. Rock and Roll is making its mark, King George is dead and war torn England is changing. At Great Stony School Essex, young Brian (Jonah Kensett) is waiting for his dad to come and fetch him to take him home, but after watching all of his friends go off to loving new homes, Brian thinks that no one will come, until one day everything changes. Brian says goodbye to his best friends George (Luke Wakeman) and Gladys (Grace Mainon) and heads off to his new life with his sister.

Tackling a subject such as war on stage can be a tricky one, the balance of characters has to be right, the tone not too sombre. Leave Hitler To Me Lad focuses on the aftermath of the war, the debris of lives torn apart and not quite mended and families searching for long lost relatives, sons, daughters, siblings. The lightness comes from the music and voices in this production, provided by a very strong cast of professionals and three aspiring youth members from Duckegg Theatre Company.

Duckegg’s passion is to nurture new talent: ‘They are our lifeblood and we rightfully place them at the heart of everything we do‘, and their passion shows. The three youngsters treading the boards in this show are: Johan Kensett, Luke Wakeman and Grace Mainon. Each is very confident in their roles, and their characters appear solid and believable, all taking their fair share of the vocals in the ensemble numbers.

Supporting the youngsters on stage, the rest of the cast double up on several parts and provide the music. This is a strong cast who tell a poignant story very well, and with the vocals and music create a very moving and entertaining show.

Janie Phillips