YOU HAVE to hand it to the Summer Youth Project – they go big or go home.

It goes without saying that SYP’s reputation preceded itself and no-one expected anything less than an infectious 60s spectacular complete with swing-tastic moves, roof-busting solos and lofty beehives when this year’s show, Hairspray, was announced.

Even so, this time around it seemed the producers had bitten more than they could chew with the beloved musical – its fans are legion and fiercely protective of its legacy.

Set in 1960s Baltimore, Hairspray follows Tracy Turnblad, a plus-size teenager with a heart of gold who dreams of dancing on national television.

When she is cast on The Corny Collins Show, she uses her newfound fame to fight for racial equality, battling for the black dancers performing just once a month to get a permanent spot alongside the daily all-white crew.

Her enthusiasm and kindness do not fail to win over the show’s heartthrob Link Larkin.

Many have tried and many have failed to strike the right note, too often sugar-coating its serious subtext and indictment of racial segregation especially in the months following a string of violent riots in the USA.

The production had a lot to prove – faultless delivery and nailing the Mash Potato were not going to cut the mustard. Too much style over the substance and any revival of Hairspray is dead in the water.

When the producers announced breezily that, for the first time in the acclaimed show’s history the role of Edna Turnblad, which had not only consistently been played by but actually written for a man, would be taken on by a young ingénue with flowing blond locks, a few eyebrows shot up.

It is fair to say everyone was feeling the pressure as the 165-strong cast of budding actors swarmed the Wyvern Theatre at the start of a marathon eight-day rehearsal spree ahead of opening night.

Not even the most ambitious West End production would challenge seasoned thesps to memorise their lines, run through their routines and get to grips with their characters in less than six weeks. And they certainly would never attempt a production on such a scale – squeezing nearly 170 performers in every number would be bedlam, pure and simple.

Call them what you will — zealous, fearless, demented, plain mad — but despite a race against the clock, audacious creative choices, not to mention a mammoth troupe, the people behind the Summer Youth Project served up one of the most electrifying shows to have graced the Wyvern Theatre stage all year.

From the moment Kerrie Scarff bounded onto the stage, it was clear this was not your average amateur show. Hitting all the impossibly high-notes with ease, her sassy head-bopping solo set the tone for the rest of the performance.

Link Larkin aka Josh Rogers’s cheeky charm worked its magic on the crowds if the fanning which spread across the stalls is anything to go by.

As for Georgina Hendry, who bravely reinvented the role of Edna, her sensitive and poignant portrayal the subdued matron who grows to accept herself was one of the highlights of the production.

A special mention must go to Seaweed (Carli Green) and his ditzy but well-meaning sweetheart Penny (Rebecca Honeybun), without whom much of the show’s barmy energy would have been lost.

From the choir who spilled out from the stage to fill every corner of the theatre belting out each ditty with glee, to the leads’ deliciously over-the-top, and refreshingly zippy renditions, Hairspray was a magnificent… gas.