I confess to not being the greatest fan of musicals.

People reel in disbelief when I admit I have never bothered to watch The Sound of Music, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang nor The Wizard of Oz.

There are exceptions, however, and I had high hopes that Son of a Preacher Man would join them.

The talented cast is studded with familiar faces including former soap stars Debra Stephenson and Ian Reddington, directed by Strictly’s Mr Nasty judge, Craig Revel Horwood.

Paired with the soundtrack of iconic songs by the late pop star Dusty Springfield, I excitedly settled into my seat for a night of retro glamour and fun.

The audience learned of a legendary London record shop in the swinging 60s, run by a man whose love advice was as sought-after as his musical expertise: The Preacher Man.

Our hopeless trio of core characters, each downtrodden by relationship drama, are eager to seek romantic direction from this mystery love guru.

Paul was a regular at the shop as a teenager and there met the man of his dreams; while Alison and Kat learned of its legend through memories shared through generations of family.

These strangers unite in their shared mission for mystical guidance but, as the far-fetched plot unfolded, I found myself failing to care for any of their fates.

The Preacher Man is dead, but his son Simon agrees to follow in his father’s footsteps and try to solve their problems.

In the programme for the show, the scriptwriter claimed the story came first, and Dusty’s songs just happily fit.

On the contrary, it felt as though the storyline was an afterthought, clunkily interrupted by crowd-pleasing hits.

I found myself cringing at cheesy lines such as: “I’m off to find the monster. The monster called love.” Ick.

Impressive singing and musicianship were a saving grace. Jess Barker played Kat due to Diana Vickers being ill, and confidently belted out the ballads.

She eventually wins a huge inheritance and realises returning the old shop to its former glory is the key to her happiness.

One of Dusty’s covers aptly sums up my feeling as the lights go up: Don’t Want to Hear it Anymore.

The show continues until Saturday.

2/5