Casting an inexperienced youngster for a lead role always carries certain risks. But in the case of Leanne Jones the producers are to be congratulated. Her engaging charisma endears her to the audience in no time at all. And when the young Brit, who is making her professional debut in the production, starts to sing, the sun goes up in every sense of the word. The entire audience simultaneously starts to smile, and thrills to Jones’s fresh, warm and surprisingly powerful voice.

In Ben James-Ellis as teen idol and Elvis-wannabe Link Larkin, Jones has an engaging and dynamic counterpart. However, he is not quite as memorable; not, indeed, are the van Tussles, even though their bitchiness and drive is second-to-none and they are responsible for some of the show’s funniest moments. They contrast markedly with Seaweed’s gang. Adrian Hansel sings and dances his way into the hearts of the young female audience members. His mother Motormouth Maybelle is played by Johnnie Fiori, who stands out by virtue of her huge soul voice. Natalie Best is the “cutie” of the show as younger sister Inez. She possesses a very sweet voice and always manages to weave her way into the centre of the action.

Jones has a strong contender for the audience’s hearts in Michael Ball, who portrays a caring mother with a weakness for showbiz. The famous British musical star can hardly be recognised beneath his fat suit and his initially rather plain dresses, which then become very colourful and elaborate towards the end of the show. But his scenes and relatively few songs are met with rapturous applause. The parents’ romantic duet in the second act, “Har De Har Hut”, is simultaneously moving and amusing: moving because it shows an older couple swearing their eternal love to each other, and amusing because of the two performers’ dance moves. Their two kisses at the end of the scene are warmly applauded by the audience. Michael Ball really throws himself into this motherly role and is a true joy to watch.

“Hairspray” raises the serious topics of discrimination and racial conflict, but without passing judgement on them. In addition, the show stands up for the chubbier among us. Although it does resort to standard clichés, these actually fit perfectly into this colourful world. Anybody who doesn’t come out of the theatre in the best of moods is a lost cause.

Although we do not make a habit of making predictions, we anticipate a long West End run for “Hairspray” for as long as Michael Ball and Leanne Jones are in the cast.

Michael Crawford returns to the origin of his unique career as the vain Count Fosco. The first Phantom ever obviously copes perfectly well with the Broadway-Flop of „Dance of the Vampires“. Although he is stuck into a de-formed foam-material costume and has hardly any complete solo he shows his extraordinary class with his acting and stage presence. Whenever he enters the stage people stop breathing. With his large scene in act two he makes all 1,800 guests in the Palace Theatre laugh by viewing his performance as a love-stricken, vain count. He plays with the rats and mice as if this is the most usual thing in the world – really magnificent.

Yet apart from these two exceptional artists and the new set-design „The Woman in White“ does not meet the expectations. The music of Andrew Lloyd Webber splashes very shallow here. In contrast to „The Beautiful Game“ you do not hear so many familiar sounds from „Cats“, „Starlight Express“ or „Jesus Christian Superstar“, but without any recourse on previous productions it does not work this time. And so you find quite frequent stylistic similarities from „Evita“ or „Whistle Down The Wind“. That pre-published single „I believe my Heart“ is very nice as a pop version yet not really impressing, but on stage it works quite soberly and leaves people impassive and untouched.

Also the production work of Trevor Nunn provides regrettable recourses. Some scenes are absolutely identical to „Les Misérables“. Certainly it is not simple to invent again and again the wheel newly for every new musical, but just because „The Woman in White“ is also set in a gloomy time and has a tragic subject, you mustn’t place the actors along the old stage marks of „LesMis“, what was to be seen until spring 2004 at the same theatre.

If you judge the piece by Germany measures you have to condemn it to fail: the story is too dark, the music is hardly vibrant and without any hit potential, there are not opulent costumes or magnificent sceneries. But the English judge a musical by other criteria and so the hope remains that it ticket sale extension does not end with September 2005.