Based on a true story, Coming to England takes us back through the life of Floella Benjamin - from her childhood in Trinidad through to her days fronting children’s television before becoming a politician and ambassador for children.

David Wood has adapted her children’s book Coming to England for the stage in a show packed with great songs and dance with memorable characters and colourful sets. But behind the sunshine is a hard-hitting story of racism, ambition and determination.

Floella and her siblings are portrayed as carefree children, happy in their Trinidad home - until their father decides to come to England. Desperate to pursue his dream to become a jazz musician, the saxophone-playing Dardie (Kojo Kamara) leaves the family for a new country where the streets are seemingly paved with gold.

He is soon followed by the children’s Marmie (Bree Smith) along with her two youngest children – before the rest of the family follow. But in London they discover a city which is damp and cold and neighbours who despise them because of their colour.

Paula Kay’s Floella is initially daunted by these responses. Keen to make friends and enjoy school, she is shocked to realise her skin colour matters and that she will be for ever judged on appearance before anything else. But with the support of her family she is determined to succeed.

We see the harsh realities in all their ugliness as neighbours abuse the family, shop assistants ignore them and even Floella’s school teacher tries to keep her down. Coming to England may be a family show, but it is a family show with a punch – no child or adult will leave without knowing how hard Floella had to fight to achieve all she has achieved.

But there is also plenty of charm and humour to the piece - from the children exploring the ship as they cross to England to Floella’s surprise when a school game turns out to be kiss chase. These little scenes all combine to create a heart-warming story of childhood and discovery.

And they are all set against colourful staging from Bretta Gerecke and costumes designed by Louie Whitemore. With wit and imagination, the team take us to carnival in Trinidad, the streets of London and on board ship, as well as a magical scene in which the children wonder at their first experience of snow.

Directed by Omar F Okai, the story is a series of individual scenes as much as a continuous narrative and this doesn’t always work as the story can feel disjointed and timescales confusing. This is particularly the case with the end which seems to come from nowhere. One moment we are in mid-drama and the next the cast are taking the curtain call.

However these are minor discrepancies in a show which will delight adults and children alike but also turn the spotlight on some disturbing truths about racism in our country. It was interesting how many interval discussions quickly moved on from the story to people’s own experiences of seeing or experiencing racism in one form or another.

And this is the testament to the show - in an often light-hearted and engaging manner, Coming to England challenges us all to think about our views and our approaches because, as the Floella character tells us, these problems remain a part of society today.

Four stars.

Reviewed by Diane Parkes at Birmingham REP where Coming To England continues to show until Saturday 16 April.