It was a warm summer’s evening in the Deanery gardens and, with the magnificent backdrop of Ely Cathedral, the anticipation was mounting as we waited for KD Theatre’s live performance of ‘Honk’!

My expectations were high and were indeed met. It was a wonderful show, with superb acting, singing and dancing.

Hans Christian Anderson’s tale of ‘The Ugly Duckling’ was brought to life.

As the plot unfolded, I glanced to the front of the audience and saw a host of children positively fascinated, many of them transfixed for the whole two hours and more.

No more can we say that children cannot concentrate these days!

The joy they experienced culminated in them spontaneously joining in with exuberant dancing as this fantastic show came to its triumphant end.

Honk, the ugly duckling, (played by Joey Warn) was tremendous. When he tried to ‘quack’ along with his brothers and sisters, the extremely loud and rather grotesque ‘honk’ that he produced was unforgettable.

This duckling had a problem. His mother Ida, (played by Leah Pinney) loved her son, no matter how different he was, so would never stop looking for him after he had been lured away by the slinky, conniving cat.

The characters he met as he tried to find his way home taught him the valuable lesson that all that matters is what you are like on the inside.

There were a series of seamlessly joined scenarios with characters that added body to the production.

Farmyard characters and animals filled the stage with realistic, rustic magic.

The cats' sexy tango, the Frog’s positivity -‘ugly will be ‘in’’, and the beauty and charm of the swans all helped him find his way.

The music was excellent, whether a non-stop, toe-tapping whirlwind, or a poignant contemplative reflection.

The choreography was slick and skilfully designed and executed.

The contribution of a fine chorus of children added to the atmosphere of sheer joy and simplicity as they sat on bales of hay as you would at any party.

Notable cast members also included Charlie Culkin, Gregor Duncan, Emma Hough, David Mcnair, Hannah Ponting and Rhys Whiteside

Congratulations must go to director Daniel Bell, choreographer Katherine Hickmott and musical director Jack Breeze for such a wonderful production.

Let’s have more, I say.