'Christmas Carol' reviews Avis in reviews Panchenko in reviews the plot

Background Created last year for London's Royal Festival Hall, the show has been re-jigged for the more intimate St David's auditorium. This is a Christmas show that does not particulalry push its ballet and dance heritage - bring your family from Gertrude to Jade for a night of live theatre based on a strong Dickens story.

Plot Ebeneezer Scrooge, besotted with money and painful to know, gets a visit one Christmas from some friendly ghosts who show him what a self-centred dolt he really is. He eventually sees the light, repents and everybody eats, drinks and makes merry. Along the way there is great variety of dance and movement including flying stilt walking...

Design: Good marks. Ingenious hi-Victorian set that in the twinkling of an eye can change from bedroom to street scene, to drawing room or clerks' office. I love the way the cast often move the set as they naturally go about their business and for a first night it was very slick I thought. It all looks rather better on what is a smaller stage this year - much more concentrated.

Choreography: Hampson has tinkered, moved the interval, shortened the end festivities: it all looks more focussed and tighter. It also builds up steadily and you could sense the audience warming to the plot and characters. The narration (live this year) also rams home what is happening on stage and works well. I'm all for clarity like this rather than leaving people to struggle with a plot that is only sketchily known at best.

The steps romp along and there are some cameo solos, pdd, and jolly good party scenes. Good natured solid choreography is the order of the day - movement that supports the narrative rather than boastful of itself. I think the main thing it shows is that Hampson has a solid grip on narrative and the happiness of people. How refreshing.

Dancers They comes across as a happy company, all acting their socks off and having spontaneous fun on stage. From a dance perspective it was nice to see Gary Avis back on stage in the UK (after his stint in Japan with K Ballet: Teddy Kumakawa's star vehicle). Avis gave beautifully crisp and clear solos and is one of the best dance actors you will see too. Also nice to see Oxana Panchenko who looks every inch a ballerina and has such a long, long, jump. You can see her again in a very different guise as she guests with George Piper Dances in its 2002 Spring tour. And Kevin Richmond's Scrooge has become the fuller too - solid stuff.

Does it work. Nice night of escapism and good to see something other than the Nutcracker at this time of year.