IT’S hard to know who enjoys Sale and Altrincham Musical Theatre’s latest show, Hi-de-Hi the most - the audience or the cast?

Either way, Altrincham Little Theatre is rocked with laughter throughout Paul Carpenter and Ian Gower’s stage adaptation of the 1980s television comedy.

They love seeing the familiar characters again.  Nobody can forget Gladys Pugh’s calls to campers at Maplin’s holiday centre to have fun or else!   She’s played by Rachel Barrington who adds her own input whilst maintaining the characteristics and Welsh accent of the original.

Her unrequited love for manager, Jeffrey Fairbrother is a constant source of amusement as she uses female wiles to attract his attention.   As in the original, Fairbrother doesn’t quite fit in.   He’s too intellectual which, so far as Glady is concerned, is his main attraction.   Stuart Sephton captures this difference which melts away when he becomes inebriated.

Everyone remembers slightly dim chalet maid Peggy Ollerenshaw whose goal in life is to become a Yellow Coat.  Rosalind Ford gets lots of well earned laughs.

The snooty ballroom dancers, Barry and Yvonne Stuart-Hargreaves (Paul Rendel  and Emma Birch) with their phoney class accents, are excellent.   He with his immaculately coifed hair and she dressed to the hilt and smothered in diamante.

Under the direction of Bill Jellyman, each punch line is delivered with panache.

You come away feeling that you’ve been on  holiday at home.

*  Hi-de-Hi is at Altrincham Little Theatre until April 9.   For tickets telephone 865 0293 or 07504 771 051 or see samtheatre.co.uk.    Star rating:  * * *