This is a fictional trip down memory lane for Ray Davies, of the Kinks, who reimagines his childhood in suburban east London (in fact, he grew up in leafy Muswell Hill). It’s the story of his three sisters, who live their lives to the rhythm of the Ilford Palais, their Saturday-night haunt for dancing. As expected, we get a mix of wide-eyed fun and tension from the world without: it’s the 1950s, so it’s all about emigration, immigration and the arrival of strange new music, rock’n’roll and soul. The show consists of three old songs and 20 new ones — mostly sweet and sometimes memorable — and if it isn’t quite strong enough to support the melodramatic bits, which tend to sweep in and out unexpectedly, its heart is in the right place. Gemma Salter shows real spark as our heroine, Julie, while Davies himself is an affable narrator. If only they didn’t insist on bathing him in blue light every time he appears; he’s a vigorous 64, but here he’s so blanched out, he looks like a ghost.

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