HERE is one solution to the W C Fields-patented phobia of working with children or animals.

Give children their own play where they all play animals and not one adult human is in sight. This play is Honk!, the enchanting George Stiles and Anthony Drewe musical that began life at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, in 1997.

The SJT premiere did in fact combine eight adults and four duckling children in its cast, but this perky and perspicacious modern makeover of Hans Christian Andersen's fable of The Ugly Duckling equally suits – maybe even better suits – a much larger company in a youth theatre format.

For York Light Youth's follow-up to last November's Les Miserables, the regular creative team of director John Hall and musical director Michael Thompson have assembled an exuberant cast of 44, none older than 17, most aged 13 or under, some much younger, all revelling on being in such a fun show. Between them they play all manner of farmyard creatures, felines and birdlife, wonderfully kitted out in a pageant of colour by wardrobe mistress Kath Walker.

Honk! wraps its message of tolerance in the tale of Ugly (Sam Rippon), the grey uniformed, school-capped, naive outsider among the golden ducklings raised by Charlotte Johnson's ever-compassionate Ida and Jack Porter's harassed Drake.

Rippon's lanky, loveable Ugly faces not only derision for being different but runs the gauntlet of being the next meal of the conniving farm tomcat, Finn East's dandy Cat in spats.

Gallows humour plays its part, while witty lyrics and fabulous tunes mark out the set-pieces that give so many cast members their moment in the spotlight. Bethany-Hannah Winteringham's flight attendant Dot and Sam Lightfoot's pilot Greylag are splendidly stiff-upper-lip RAF types in a geese-flying sequence, while Olivia Rickwood-Eyles's domesticated hen, Maureen, and Jessica Parnell's supercilious house cat, Queenie, are a joy as they wile away the hours watching TV. Ben Greenhough is top of the hops as Bull Frog, in a comic cameo with bags of promise, and Anna Murphy's Lowbutt, Molly Anderson's Henrietta and Faye Stainton's Grace make their mark too.

Michael Thompson's musical forces relish the myriad musical styles, playing with panache, and Hayley Patrick's debut as choreographer is full of individual dash and collective vim.

As Honk! affirms so strikingly, York Light Youth is quickly establishing itself as a significant contributor to York's vibrant youth theatre scene. Up next will be auditions for Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats on July 25 and August 2. For application forms, email yorklightyouth@yorklight.com

 

Honk! will be performed at 7.30pm tonight and 2.30pm and 7.30pm tomorrow. Box office: yorklight.com and on the door