As always I watched the final curtain call with what I think of as a “Chickenshed lump” in my throat. There is something profoundly moving about seeing two hundred or so people on stage, celebrating a visually and vocally vibrant, totally inclusive musical theatre achievement.

This is a very original take on Jack and the Beanstalk, positioned a very long way from pantomime to which it is a refreshing antidote.  Jack (Hector Dogliani who doubles the role in other performances with Ellie Carroll) has a realistic family. His widowed mother is anxious, distracted, volatile and dependent on foodbanks or going without. A troubled dreamer and a bit of a loner he is badly bullied by other teenagers (chilling scenes) until he discovers the Beanstalk computer game in the arcade his late father used to own. The show then comprises his big scale working through three challenging levels until he finally “meets” the giant and comes to terms with his situation so that he can face the future with courage, confidence and self knowledge. Oh yes, Dave Carey who wrote this show is a highly talented man. And, primarily a musician, he also gives us some terrific music, partly live and visible on an overstage platform, and some pre-recorded. He gets lots of applause from me, too, for using a youth band.

The show, whose huge ensemble is beautifully choreographed, includes avatars, monsters, a colourful set, lively dancing (especially from the utterly splendid Courtney Dayes as Dance Boss 1), real drama and lots of kindness. I am always impressed by the glorious cast mix at Chickenshed including wheelchair users, people with Downs Syndrome and other conditions, child Chickenshed members, Btec and degrees students, and staffers, many of whom have been involved with Chickenshed since childhood. Ashley Driver, for example, who has been a member since he was a child, is a graduate of both Btec and degree programme and is now part of the tutoring and mentoring team. He excels as the forceful, glittering Pinball Wizard in this show. There is a given in the choreographing of Chickenshed shows that anyone who needs help is unobtrusively scooped up or taken by the hand and led within the ensemble. It’s a lovely thing to notice.

Hector Dogliani plays a lonely introvert at the opening, gradually and skilfully revealing a rounded, much happier person. And he sings beautifully – lots of tuneful, well controlled warmth.

This show works with over eight hundred people because the ensemble operates in four rotas. I saw the yellow rota doing a fine job. I marvel at the discipline with which they make their entrances and exits and can only wonder how on earth you manage a cast that size, some of whom are very young, backstage.

Inclusivity is what underlies all this so every word of the show is integrally signed by a large number of very competent signers who are threaded into the action. Some of these are children so that’s excellent too. I also like the way short solos are distributed across the ensemble so that lots of young people get the chance to shine. It isn’t always easy, given the crowded stage, to spot who is holding the hand mic and having a moment of glory but the blending in is a Chickenshed trademark.

I suspect that this is going to be one of the best Christmas shows I see this month.