THE audience was transported to fifties America for this short but sweet Wharf Youth production, a musical set in Angelo’s ice cream parlour in a little town outside New York, a popular haunt to hang out during the summer.

When the owner, affectionately known by his young customers as Uncle Angelo, dies suddenly, glamorous film star Deanna la Domme turns up claiming to be his only living relative and threatens to sell up to a rival chain.

The plot is somewhat predictable but with a spattering of fun and catchy songs, it was the perfect showcase for the rising stars of the youth theatre. Things got off to a bit of a shaky start and there were a few forgotten lines but it didn’t take long for the momentum to pick up. The show was narrated by Mia Worrell who sustained a good American accent throughout.

Manager of Angelo’s Mr Cohen, played by Jack Gay, and Joey Nobody, played by Esme White, worked well together as a double act and had the audience chuckling along.

Charlotte Diddams burst onto the set as Deanna la Domme and had no trouble convincing the audience she was a Hollywood diva.

I’m sure it was no easy task for the four waitresses to talk in sync as the script requires, but they seemed to handle the task with relative ease. The set and costumes were very impressive and helped with the believability of the piece.

Overall Shake, Ripple and Roll was enjoyable and a strong performance from such a young cast.