Mark Britton has done it again.

The Wooburn Common businessman who writes and produces musicals in his spare time, brought his talented team together again for a production of Looks Like Love at the Beacon Centre last week.

Earlier memorable musicals included Joan of Arc and Cromwell - both serious treatments of historical characters. This time it’s light-hearted romance, as seven characters happen to be in a little pavement cafe called Cafe de l’Amour.

We never learn their names, and there is no dialogue, but we get the message: each one is yearning for love. The charming young waiter (Adam Parrett) yet to find a girl and casting his eye hopefully around the customers. The pretty blonde (Sarah Coope) here on a blind date, hoping for the man of her dreams, and distraught when he fails to appear.

A couple (Stephanie and Simon Clay) who are madly in love but sparring amidst the canoodling and with an engagement in mind. A single girl (Jo Montague) fleeing a broken relationship with nowhere to go. The blind date (Martin Webb) who finally arrives a day late, a bundle of nerves and social inadequacies.

And an older man (Mark Britton), recently widowed, grieving his lost love, a regular at the cafe with a coffee, glass of wine and newspaper, watching love blossom around him.

Mark Britton wrote the lyrics and music, directed the musical as well as singing his role as the older man. Local music director Andy Spiller was responsible for the very fine musical arrangements and orchestration recording.

There are 20 songs in all as the story unfolds, many of them delightfully ballad-like. The singing from each character is excellent, with the blonde and the waiter truly winsome.

The characters sing alone as they reflect their feelings, sometimes others in the cafe join in, and there are some delightful ensemble songs - especially when the four men link up to share thoughts about dealing with love (“What is love, what is woman, sometimes hell, sometimes heaven…”)

The stage set is charming, evoking the kind of French-style cafe we’d all like on our high streets - especially with that nice waiter.

Suffice to say love wins the day for all but one - and he finds a new role to keep him busy.

The audience that packed out the Beacon Centre left smiling.