Once upon a time, Hollywood stars had names like ‘Fred' and ‘Ginger'. The films they appeared in were light, frothy confections in which the stars acted a bit, and sang a bit… but danced as though they were floating on air. In 1935, the already successful duo of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers joined forces with songwriter Irving Berlin for one such film: Top Hat, which became RKO Pictures' highest grossing film of the 1930s. Fast-forward to 2011, when Matthew White and Howard Jacques decided to create a stage adaptation of the film. Keeping the plot and musical numbers of the original, they also threw in a few more Irving Berlin favourites for good measure. After a hugely successful run in London – where it collected three Oliver Awards, including Best New Musical – the show embarked on a year-long UK tour, arriving in Oxford to warm up a cold January evening for a very appreciative audience.

Right from the opening number – a high-energy ‘Puttin' on the Ritz' – the show is a delight. The cast's enthusiasm is infectious and the pace never lets up, with gags, songs and dance routines coming thick and fast. Alan Burkitt and Charlotte Gooch take on the surely daunting task of following in the dance steps of Astaire and Rogers, carrying off the parts of Jerry Travers and Dale Tremont with enormous charm. The seemingly doomed romance of the leads is helped and hindered in equal measure by a wonderfully eccentric collection of characters, including amiable and put-upon theatrical producer Horace Hardwicke (Clive Hayward) and his socialite wife, Madge (Rebecca Thornhill). They are joined by Sebastien Torkia, hamming it up wonderfully as the stereotypically Italian dressmaker Alberto Beddini, and John Conroy, often stealing the show as Hardwicke's loyal and laconic valet, Bates.

The design of the production complements the performances perfectly, with set, costumes and wigs combining to recreate the golden age of Hollywood. The clever set design in particular provides effortless transitions from scene to scene, with some neat touches including a dancing ‘shadow' version of Jerry in the hotel room above Dale's, and an aeroplane coming in to land over Venice's St Mark's Square.

If you are a fan of Fred, Ginger, and Hollywood musicals, you owe it to yourself not to miss this show. And if you're not a fan, Top Hat might just change your mind.