CILLA is an energetic blast from the past as the streets and sounds of 1960s Liverpool reveal the friendships and partnerships that helped Cilla Black become a national treasure.

The show brought history to life, with songs from The Beatles, Gerry and the Pacemakers and Mammas and Pappas peppering both acts.

The musical follows a young Cilla Black as her star rises and she goes from working as a typist to taking centre stage at the glitzy London Palladium.

The touring musical follows on from the hit ITV show Cilla where the leading lady was played by Sheridan Smith.

Kara Lily Hayworth is exceptional as Cilla and the highlight of the show was her rendition of Anyone Who Had a Heart, which caused rapturous applause.

Comic moments came from Neil MacDonald playing Cilla’s overprotective father and there were some dramatic scenes between Cilla and Bobby, played by Carl Au, that showed the struggles involved in chasing success. I loved seeing the musicians up on stage performing and thought that the Cavern Club setting was really special and showed the buzz surrounding live music.

Faulty lighting and some dodgy sound cues did not detract from the magic of the show, with people tapping their feet and dancing in their seats.

However as the cast begin to belt out one of the final songs of the show, something was evidently not right. The lights came up, the cast left the stage and paramedics rushed to the aid of two people who had suddenly become unwell.

Emergency staff got a round of applause from the audience. All being well again, the cast quickly reassembled on stage and Cilla sang out “Something tells me somethings gonna happen tonight”, glancing around at the cast as she realised the significance of the words - and the audience chuckled along. We wish both patients well and a speedy recovery.

The show plays at the Bristol Hippodrome until Saturday.(March14) Tickets range from £17.90-£61.40.

Julia Corbett