LIONEL Bart's musical Blitz has been described as 'Abie's Irish Rose meets the burning of Atlanta' and it's not difficult to see how the comparison arose.

At heart the story of a romance between a Jewish woman and a Cockney man - and all its associated complications - set against the drama of the German bombing of London the show was performed in London in the early 60s and then 'lost' until a mid 80s revival boosted it into the amateur repertoire.

At the time of its first production, as a follow up to Bart's hugely successful Oliver, its massive sets and effects made it the most expensive West End show ever staged although it failed to impress the great Noel Coward who said that the theatrical Blitz was 'twice as loud and twice as long as the real thing'.

With this in mind it was with some trepidation that I approached the opening night of ALOC's performance at the Borough Theatre on Tuesday.

With an uncertain record of performances in recent years I feared that this change of pace from the more traditional Light Opera fare to a more overtly modern offering could prove a disaster and yet thanks to some excellent playing from the central characters and ALOC's, as ever, strong chorus, Blizt proved to be one of the more pleasant surprises of the year.

In the lynch-pin role of Mrs Blitztein, Deborah Harrington was the glue holding the production together. Her tour-de-force performance was a revelation both dramatically and vocally with the role bringing a new depth to her voice, especially in its lower registers.

Blitz is a show which stands or falls on its Mrs Blitztein and it was obvious from the rousing opening chorus Our Hotel, which epitomises that wartime spirit which we all recognise from countless films and TV dramas - and which many in the audience recognised from a more intimate contact - that Deborah Harrington had found her role. Her accent may not always have found its level but 'oy-vey' you can't have everything.

As the proto-Alf Garnett patriarch Alfred Locke, Stephen Clarke put in an equally strong performance working well with his fellow 'Old Contemptible' Ernie Nearmiss well played by Colin Lewis, who also directed the performance - on occasions audibly thanks to his radio mic which frequently stayed 'on' when he was 'off' as it were!

Other excellent performances came from Angela Casa as Carol and Nia Hawyes - who improves with each production - as Elsie. Angela's moving rendition of Far Away was among the highlights of the show, as was Nia's Leave it to the Ladies.

Good support was also provided by Kevin Smith as Georgie Locke,?Jenny Morrison as Mrs Josephs and young Will Smith as Siddy Blitztein, who led the excellent chorus of children in the effective and comic Mums and Dads proving yet again that when it comes to young talent Abergavenny's cup floweth over.

The quality of ALOC's chorus work is one thing that has rarely been disputed and again in this performance it came to the fore, with rousing numbers like Our Hotel, The Day After Tomorrow, Another Morning, Who's This Geezer Hitler and Duty Calls in which the company was led by Jamie McAnsh as Harry who showed considerable promise if he could only overcome his nerves and perform.

Of course it wasn't all blue birds over these particular white cliffs and there moments when had the lights gone out all over the stage there would have been considerable relief for all concerned.

There were more than the average number of prompts even for a first night and times when it seemed that the actors had written more of the lines than Lionel Bart but somehow they in true Blitz spirit they all muddled through and dodged the worst - although a little more attention to detail and less to wigs might have been wise. As one audience member pointed out, sounding the 'all clear' to call the cast into the Underground air raid shelter, was not a good start.

Perhaps the most disappointing thing about the entire production however was final ten minute section, which should have been the most dramatic and poignant and which sadly passed in a flurry of confusion leaving the audience slightly puzzled when the curtains closed before the final call.

Despite this Blitz was certainly one of the most enjoyable ALOC shows for quite a few years - it's packed with good tunes, there are some very good performances and it's homespun, happy and uplifting, just what we all need at the moment.

Blitz runs at the Borough Theatre until Saturday and tickets are available from the theatre box office on 01873 850805.