What a rare joy to genuinely laugh out loud in the theatre. And not to feel embarrassed when entering late, to be shown to my seat by a 1920s cinema usher and then plied with free sweets.

Dr Zingaro’s Secret celebrated the Golden Age of the silent film era and celebrate it certainly does. We were treated first to a newsreel depicting the antics of the first woman cross-Channel swimmer – and very funny she was too. And then the big film started. A Jekyll and Hyde type character, Dr. Zingaro unwittingly puts up for ridicule his own Siamese twin daughters in his circus freak show. Of course there's the evil maid and the fairy godmother thrown in for good measure, but I won't give the game away. The piece was full of simple games played with an affectionate, refreshing originality which made it very comfortable to watch. The performers were superb, working with a precise, entertainingly off-the-wall physicality which is as eccentric as I've ever seen.

Danny Schlesinger and Colum Petit should win Oscars for the most endearing cinema musicians ever to be seen in off-screen entertainment. The rest of the cast's sense of ensemble and committed collective comic timing was just right. This was a piece of comfortable, good quality entertainment – it won't change the world although it could push forward the boundaries of comedy music in performance. A feel good movie. Excellent.