Cats, The Mayflower, Southampton

IF YOU'RE looking for a show which will please every member of the family you can't do much better than Cats.

It's got the magical elements which children love - not to mention giant singing cats - catchy songs, a fantastic set and stunning dancing.

Unlike some more conventional musicals, the show doesn't really have a plot.

Instead it invites us to spend a night in the company of a group of cats as they swap stories about each other and introduce us to members of their gang.

That said, it might be worth reading the synopsis first if you don't want to miss a line and find yourself very confused about why a cat is dancing with some giant beetles.

Generally, however, the absence of a complicated plot means that you can relax and enjoy the fantastic spectacle of the show.

Cats boasts excellent choreography and the cats themselves are very well observed - everyone will have their favourite, from the flamboyant tom cat Rum Tum Tugger to the rotund but stately Bustopher Jones.

The show makes the most of its large cast and doesn't allow the chorus to blend into the background - wherever you look on the stage there is something different going on and no one slips out of character for a moment.

Among the show's collection of memorable songs the best known is, of course, Memory, sung by Grizabella, a lonely old cat.

Happily, when it is performed within the show the song does not disappoint - indeed it puts the icing on the cake of a very slick production.

Runs until May 8.