Gangsters, molls and silly string are coming to the Radlett Centre this week as the theatre is transformed into the New York of the 1920s for youth theatre company RARE Productions’ Bugsy Malone, featuring a cast from the Bushey, Radlett and Watford areas.

When I dropped in on one of the final rehearsals at Hartsbourne Primary School, in Bushey last week, the director Andrew Burton told me: “We have been rehearsing for the past six weeks and things have been going really well. We are almost ready to go on stage – it’s just a case of last-minute preparations now.”

Having worked with RARE Productions for the past six years, directing close to 80 shows, the former school teacher knows a thing or two about youth theatre, not to mention working with children, and says he has complete faith that “things will be all right on the night”.

“RARE Productions is a company that works in nine different areas around North London, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Bedford,” he explains. “We are one of the biggest and busiest youth theatres in the country, and this is a new area we have opened.”

“I have not worked with any of these kids before so it has been a challenge, but children have a tendency to pull things off even when it looks very bleak – not that it does at the moment – and they do bring it together on the opening night.”

Originally a 1976 film starring a teenage Jodie Foster as the alluring Tallulah, Bugsy Malone is a tongue-in-cheek musical based loosely on the dark underworld of 1920s’ Chicago during the prohibition era. Centred around the battle for power between rival gangsters Fat Sam and Dandy Dan, the story sees nice guy city slicker Bugsy fall for speakeasy singer Blousey Brown before the seductive Tallulah steps in.

As such an iconic and well-loved story, this production needed a big actor to fill the boots of Scott Baio, who played the title role in the original, and Andrew believes he has found one in 15-year-old Dylan Hussy, from Abbots Langley. “Dylan is very natural. You sympathise with him and you have empathy for him as soon as he speaks,” Andrew enthuses. “He is a very warm sort of chap.”

Having watched briefly as Dylan rehearsed one of the fight scenes, I can vouch for his presence on stage and his New York accent wasn’t half bad either, so I was surprised when he told me this was his stage debut.

“I was nervous when I went for the audition because it was the first one I had gone for. Thankfully everyone was really friendly, so it was all right.

“I was given a sheet asking me to come back for another audition and after that I was told through the post I had the part. It was very exciting.”

And in his first big role, Dylan, who attends Bushey Meads School, has also had to grapple with his first stage kiss, although something tells me he was more than happy to rehearse that scene over and over.

“There are a couple of scenes with Tallulah which are more seduction scenes than love scenes,” the budding star says with a bashful smile. “She kisses me actually, and that’s all right, it’s not bad.”

Featuring the classic tunes from the movie including the flirtatious My Name Is Tallulah, Fat Sam’s Grand Slam and So You Wanna Be a Boxer?, the production also sees the cast armed with the infamous splurge guns, and, sticking true to the original, Andrew explains things do get messy.

“We are doing all the splurge scenes, so don’t sit in the first two rows – you will get silly-stringed,” he jokes.

Bugsy Malone runs at the Radlett Centre from Thursday, November 13 to Saturday, November 15, 7.30pm. Matinee, Saturday, 2.30pm. Details: 01923 859291