Wimbledon Theatre's production of The Pirates of Penzance sent the audience home happy on Monday - humming such ditties are Poor Wand'ring One and many other Gilbert & Sullivan hits.

The Carl Rosa Company elegantly recreated the original period settings and almost literally set the stage ablaze - a sizzling cast all had stunning new costumes due to a fire in one of their stores just before Christmas 2005.

Barry Clark, as Major-General Stanley, gave a sparkling performance and had the audience in stitches right from the beginning. The talented Barry recently returned from a tour of South Africa, where he performed the role of Baron Zeta in The Merry Widow, and future plans include concerts in the USA, plus the American tour of Pirates with Carl Rosa.

Steven Page always holds the audience spellbound when he springs on stage. Tall and angular, he suits many a manacing part, and played the Pirate King to perfection.

David Curry was also first class as Frederic, a fairly reluctant pirate with a sense of honour and duty, who falls in love with Mabel (Charlotte Page), one of Major-General Stanley's daughters.

Bruce Graham's Sergeant of Police injected more humour as the leader of a rather stupid line of flat-footed Cornish policemen, truncheons at the ready.

Another excellent comic performance came from Rosemary Ashe as Ruth, a rather over the hill maid, who tries, unsuccessfully, to tempt Frederic. Rosemary's versatility is underlined by her one woman show The Killer Soprano and her cabaret appearance in New York with Sheridan Morley.

This rip-roaring production is great entertainment for the whole family.