STEVEN Houghton was born to play a hero. Tall, with a chiselled jaw and handsome demeanour, it's no wonder he's made such a good living – firstly as dashing fireman Gregg Blake in London's Burning then stints in other TV soaps and on the West End stage.
He was made for the part of Adam Pontipee, head of a clan of roughneck mountain-men in the classic musical
Seven Brides For Seven Brothers which opened at
Milton Keynes Theatre this week.
But quite how much longer this hoary old story can continue to attract audiences is another matter.
It's a play-safe summer show that provides lots of pretty dresses, some memorable tunes, an enthusiastic and energetic cast and a cheesy story.
Surprisingly, considering how popular it has been over the years, the original production only ran for five days on Broadway before being pulled.
Since then it has been dramatically re-written and found its niche audience but it's not a tale for modern theatre-goers.
Superficially it's a battle of the sexes rom-com set in 1850's Oregon.
On one side there's a family of backwoodsmen who lived in shabby isolation in the mountains and, on the other, a group of virginal young valley girls looking for love.
But the inspiration actually came from Ancient Greece when marauding Roman soldiers abducted a group of Sabine women.
The story has been updated to the pioneering Old West, a time when there were ten men to every girl, life was tough and often necessity made desperate men do desperate things.
Adam and his brothers needed a woman to look after them so he went to town shopping for a wife – and found it surprisingly easy. Buoyed by his success the remaining brothers go to town and end up snatching a group of women from under the noses of their families and friends.
The success of the musical is down to the performances and this latest company were brimming with exuberance if not finesse.
There were times when there were more than 25 dancers on the stage so it's little wonder there was jostling and a few wrong steps.
The stars played their parts to perfection. Houghton, whose song Wind Beneath My Wings was a chart hit, had a pleasant voice but there was an awful lot of Howard Keel in the performance.
He occasionally struggled to be heard above a lusty orchestra but he had charisma and carried the leading man role on broad and reliable shoulders. What's more the boy looked good in buckskin and a raccoon hat.
His feisty young bride, Milly, was played was Grease Is The Word winner Susan McFadden who proved that taking the reality TV title was no fluke. The lady had class and elegance plus a powerful voice.
Seven Brides was a delight for lovers of big, blousy, old time musicals like Annie Get Your Gun, Carousel or South Pacific. It was perfect lightweight entertainment for the regions and most people would have gone home singing "Bless Your Beautiful Hide".
But the old gal is creaking with age. Isn't it time to let it rest ?
Seven Brides runs until Saturday. For tickets contact the box office 0844 871 7652 or go online www.ambassadortickets.com/milton keynes