Show's five star loving send-up of Casablanca

THERE'S a delicate balance between sending up a classic movie like Casablanca and lovingly acting it out on stage.

But so good is Casablanca: The Gin Joint Cut that, for me, you can play it again, Sam. Anytime.

Virtuoso work from the cast of three - Gavin Mitchell, Jimmy Chisholm and Claire Waugh - goes with a sparkling script.

As well as acting out the story with every ounce of the emotion and romance of the original film - you WILL get goosebumps - the actors throw in high comedy as well as some fascinating facts about the movie in their "DVD extras".

They even appear as themselves at the start, Gavin Mitchell trying out his Humphrey Bogart face and Rick Blaine lines on us - and an apparently unimpressed Jimmy Chisholm!

They also set up plenty of in-jokes.

Among them - just how do you stay true to the film's constant smoking when you've got an on-stage ciggy ban to consider.

Though all three actors play several roles, Inverness's own Jimmy Chisholm has the greatest fun with the audience as he takes on the lion's share of instant character changes aided by jackets and hats whipped on and off in seconds behind the set's exotic screens.

Claire Waugh's character conquers the most extreme transformation - from bullying Nazi Major Strasser to Rick's lost and refound love Ilsa.

Yet the whole show probably hangs on the way Gavin Mitchell channels Humphrey Bogart in a subtle and note-perfect performance.

You'll love the way the show presents Sam, the piano-playing singer behind the movie's signature tune As Time Goes By.

And the use of sound effects and snatches of music soundtrack from the original movie add massively to the atmosphere.

This show has everything - and more. So don't rule out bonuses like the odd crowd singalong ...

For Casablanca's 70th anniversary year, this show's a brilliant way to say 'Here's looking at you, kid!'.

Casablanca: The Gin Joint Cut is at Eden Court tonight (Friday) at 8pm, Saturday at 2pm and 8pm and also on Sunday at 2pm and 8pm.

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