The all-male Mikado at the Arts Theatre Cambridge is enchanting and I urge you to go.

It is on until Saturday and is full of humour and joy and features some exceptional acting. Each actor is totally focussed on their role and the whole performance steers cleverly clear of burlesque with the young male cast assuming the demeanour of young ladies with convincing

ease.

The love lorn Katisha rides in on a bicycle. The young gentlemen of Japan have become boy scouts who skilfully use their tents in a variety of amusing ways. (The tent flaps swing open often to reveal surprises within.) And the Lord High Executioner’s sword has become a cricket bat. Director Sasha Regan’s vision of a dream like world really works.

I was totally drawn into the play and I had a smile on my face throughout the performance.

The lyrics are updated and have a contemporary feel although the Edwardian setting is convincing throughout.

The dancing is polished and mannered and has a certain elegance that choreographer Holly Hughes must be delighted with. The ensemble’s gestures are perfect, poised and wonderfully funny.

I am not sure if I have seen actors at the Arts recently quite give the degree of commitment that these guys bring.

This Mikado re-invents the comic opera giving it back its original verve. After all this was the longest running G and S back in the day lasting almost two years (672 performances) on the London stage.

The Mikado is at Cambridge Arts Theatre until Saturday, July 1.