Nostalgia was the name of the game at the Daylesford Theatre for the opening night of the current BMDS production, 'Dad's Army'.

From the patriotic bunting festooning the foyer, to the sand bags, air raid warnings and posters exhorting one to 'save kitchen waste to feed the pigs', one would think there was a war going on.

There was a palpable sense of expectation among the audience as the opening bars of the theme tune, 'Who do you think you are kidding, Mr. Hitler …' accompanied clips from a Pathegram newsreel from 1940, which neatly set the scene for the action to follow.

"It brings back memories", was the feeling among the audience, some of whom sang along to the familiar tune.

The set, the church hall of a small English coastal town, took up all the available space of the theatre, and included an impressively realistic machine gun, wooden tennis racquets in presses, a radiator and hard wooden benches. In subsequent scenes panels unfolded to reveal a charming café where gossip was brewed with the coffee. A great deal of attention had been paid to the details, with lots of clever touches appreciated by the audience.

The cast presented four episodes based on the BBC television series that centred around the antics of the volunteer Home Guard. This was a secondary defence force intended to be deployed in case of invasion by the Germans during the Second World War. All featured the clever word play, comic situations and cultural stereotypes of the originals, creating an enjoyable evening's entertainment.

'The Deadly Attachment' concerns prisoners of war from a German U boat, whom Captain Mainwaring and his platoon are ordered to guard. They briefly gain advantage of their captors, but insubordination saves the day. 'Mum's Army' introduces the ladies of the town. They are to be recruited to take over the administrative work, but there are issues about "rounding up the right sort of material", and their presence on parade proves a major distraction.

'The Godiva Affair' presents the men in Morris Dancer finery and one horse as part of an initiative to raise funds for a Spitfire, though the main concern is who will play the luscious Lady Godiva in 'fleshings'. Finishing off the evening is 'The Floral Dance', the company's rehearsal of a song for a concert for wounded soldiers, which highlights the rivalry between Captain Mainwaring and Mr. Hodges, the Air Raid Warden.

The local cast certainly looked the part, Paul MacCoy presenting a convincing Captain Mainwaring, and Gavin Wilson portraying the elderly Private Jones, a veteran of Sudanese expeditions, with deft movements. Jym Brier's Private Pike, a callow youth, mimicked fairly faithfully the wet and weedy original. Alan Brooks' ferocious Jock, Private Frazer, shone particularly in 'The Godiva Affair', where Kelvin Hastings-Smith's normally nonchalant Sergeant Wilson struggled to rein in his horse to humorous effect.

There were also some delightful cameos: Gordon Emmerson's salacious Town Clerk was suitably creepy and Carol Birch's Mrs. Fox outrageous.

A clever script and good character acting were hampered, however, by the limitations of the stage. Scene changes that are seamless on television, on the stage chop up the action, causing momentum to be lost; however, short of installing a revolving stage, there is not a lot a small theatre can do about this. The lag was partly relieved by film clips, excerpts from original newsreels cleverly spliced with scenes of our chaps patrolling Front Street and advancing on the benches of Victoria Park.

A trip down memory lane is an entertaining journey, and the trip being offered by the Bermuda Musical and Dramatic Society is an enjoyable one, particularly for those who saw the original television series.

'Dad's Army' at the Daylesford Theatre runs until March 6, with additional performances on March 10, 11 and 12. Tickets, $25, are on sale at the Daylesford Theatre box office between 5.30 p.m. and 7 p.m., and online www.bmds.bm when the box office is closed. Curtain is 8 p.m.