A BRAND-NEW musical swung into Wycombe last night, celebrating the sounds and styles of the sixties in a kaleidoscopic, fast-paced and ambitious show.

Carnaby Street tells the story of Jude, a young man who dreams of becoming a pop star in the height of the swinging sixties.

It charts his rise to the top and back down again, set against a backdrop of huge social and political change after Harold Macmillan famously said we’d “never had it so good.”

The story is told through the eyes of Jude's manager Jack Spratt, an artful-dodger type who considers himself a real wheeler-dealer.

Undoubtedly the best feature of the show is the ever-present live band, who rightly retain their place at centre stage as the action unfolds.

The music is the star here, with 40 hits from the sixties crammed in alongside the storyline, ranging from rock’n’roll classics to crooner ballads.

In fact, the standout moments of the show occur when the stage becomes a ‘stage’, be it at the infamous Marquee Club in the heart of Soho or a packed New York arena.

And in such an obvious nod to the sounds that shaped an era, the storyline fights for an equal billing, at times trying a little hard to do so.

While entertaining and well-acted, the tale of Jude and his friends feels a little overwhelming and over-ambitious.

In a two hour show, we see rivalries, jealousies, a rise to fame, a fall from grace, a funeral, a pregnancy, various love triangles and efforts to provide a witty social commentary.

This results in an inevitable watering-down of character development in a storyline that rattles along at the pace of the 1960s pre speed-limited M1.

But that’s not to say there aren’t any standout performances to note.

Hugo Harold-Harrison gives a star turn as the manipulative, greedy record guru Arnold Lane, and Paul Hazel provides some excellent comic relief as the ultra-camp Lily.

Gregory Clarke is excellent as the news-seller who punctures the action with ironic snippets from the news of the era, it’s just a shame his lines fall a little flat in terms of satire.

The story is based on the life and experiences of writer and producer Carl Leighton-Pope, who grew up in the midst of swinging London and has worked with some of the top names in music.

This is evident in the most successful part of the storyline involving record boss Lane and the murky undercurrent of the music business.

Mention must be made of the fashions on show, with a colourful and sometimes outrageous display of sixties outfits setting the scene and complementing the action superbly.

But the music is by far the most enjoyable aspect of Carnaby Street.

The rip-roaring final montage featuring the entire cast closes the evening on a real high note, but also leaves you with the lingering wish that more of the show could be like the dazzling final few minutes.

Carnaby Street continues at the Wycombe Swan until April 20. To book call 01494 712000 or go to www.wycombeswan.co.uk