IT MAY not have the popular appeal of Joseph, Phantom or Cats, but this Lloyd Webber musical is still out of the top drawer.

And with a West End run of two and a half years it's a success by anyone's standards – the sort of show that would buoy up many a lesser composer for his entire career.

OK, so maybe it doesn't boast a string of memorable tunes (even Cats really has only one), but the score, melding rock, gospel, blues and lush ballads, offers a lot more than just the hit number No Matter What.

Originally a small scale tale set in a rural community in the North of England, Lloyd Webber relocates it to a bible-thumping Louisana community in the 1950s, and the child who discovers the fugitive in the barn becomes a 15-year-old girl who has recently lost her mother.

So there are now openings for emotionally charged conflicts involving religious fervour, racial fanaticism, revenge, and the girl's burgeoning sexuality in relation to both the criminal and a macho local biker.

Besides being great to listen to, the production looks good too, with impressive sets, and a large cast, headed by Jonathan Ansell.

Formerly with G4, he is now a solo artist of stature. His classical training and natural tenor voice fit him precisely for the role of the fugitive, but he also brings out the conflicting sympathetic and frightening aspects of the character.

Carly Bawden has the task of convincing us that the unsettling emotions of a 15-year-old girl, experiencing disturbing awakening sexuality, can sit comfortably beside an innocence that allows her to believe that the stranger is Jesus Christ, but she handles them with confidence, and brings a naive sweetness to her songs.

Alicia Kemp and Toby Smith are superb as her younger siblings Brat and Poor Baby, and the chorus of children are faultless.

Aaron Shirley as the no-nonsense but sympathetic Sheriff, and C Gerod Harris as family friend Edward also make notable contributions to this fine, thoroughly entertaining musical.