Gentlemen in smart blazers and ladies in exotic hats promenaded outside Henley’s Kenton Theatre – the Royal Regatta was in full swing just down the road. There’s a smartly blazered gentleman on stage too: he’s the distinctly dodgy Winslow (Richard Ashley), who has ever-shopping triplet daughters to maintain (splendidly robust performances from Sophie Le Brun, Kate Clarke, and Eloise Mayling). But, courtesy of a plentiful supply of counterfeit banknotes, he’s also got enough money to support the production of a Regatta Day play.

The storyline of this new, home-grown Henley musical swings onwards into fairyland, and to a row of three semi-derelict cottages. In them live fiery red-head Claudine (Maria Lukeman, a next-generation Kate O’Mara), environmentalist Lucy (Jessica Boshier), who has rats in her kitchen (an excellent quartet of children), and rather earnest Cassie (Rachel Fabri). She is determined to marry Bernard (Richard Holt), but there will be many twists and turns before she gets there. Artlessly whipping up enmity between the three neighbours is doorstep cleaning materials salesman Desmond (James Clifford, surely destined for a big future in panto). Desmond is the comic highlight of the evening, flogging products such as “B****r off – guaranteed to get rid of bed bugs”.

Make Believe is a multi-layered show, and its play-within-a-play construction is not always easy to follow. James Hall’s script contains good material, but it would be sharper and funnier if substantial cuts were made. Hall also wrote the jaunty, 1960s-style, score: particularly successful numbers are A Time Machine for the Drop-Dead Beauty Queen, Dirty Little Habits, Take Me Away and Cassie’s nicely sung ballad This Fear Inside. The hidden accompanying band is excellent (musical director Tim Cumper).

The ensemble cast of young professionals, directed by Heather Simpkin, dance and sing their socks off in this ambitious musical. Make Believe may be a bit of a curate’s egg, but its heart is certainly in the right place.

The show continues until Sunday, July 19. Tickets: 01491 575698.