A FIRM favourite with young and old alike, Bugsy Malone was a great choice for The Mayflower’s first summer youth project.

And it was a great performance from the 219 young people involved - we may have witnessed some future stars in the making.

The title role is crucial to make this show work, and 16- year-old Chance Isaiah Perdomo did an amazing job as the lovable rogue Bugsy.

The young man was confident and charismatic, delivering his performance with the all-important swagger needed, despite his tender years.

Tamlin Morgan was very likable as his love interest Blousey; her rendition of Ordinary Fool in the second act clearly demonstrated her talent in what is easily the most difficult song in the show.

Chloe Rice also showed off an incredible voice as Fat Sam’s sharptongued girlfriend Tallulah.

George Shrapnell was perfectly understated as the suave and calm Dandy Dan, which worked well in contrast to Tom Hopgood’s hot-headed and over-exaggerated Fat Sam.

The choreography, costumes and cast as a whole were fantastic.

The big company numbers were impressive, although sometimes, with youngsters dancing in the aisles, it felt like there was too much going on and it was hard to know where to look.

The key thing with a show like Bugsy Malone is that it has to be fun.

In this production, each cast member gave it their all and were so clearly having a ball that the audience couldn’t help but get caught up in the excitement.

COREY ROSS