MOST people would be a little anxious about a small boy propping the front door open with a slipper at midnight to go off, in his pyjamas, and play with ghostly strangers.

But, in the words of Michael Winner: "Don't worry, my dears, it's really a stageplay"... and a very good one at that. David Wood's adaptation of Philippa Pearce's 1958 book uses mime and mysterious music to create the right atmosphere to capture the attention of today's over-stimulated children. A central spinning structure moves smoothly from the hallway, containing the famous grandfather clock which strikes 13 to reveal the world of yesteryear, to become the Victorian backdrop to Tom's nocturnal adventures.

The hardest parts to play are, of course, the 20-something leads who have to become the children. Stefan Butler occasionally offers a Frank Spencer-style Tom, but convinces us he is a child struggling to understand this time portal to another age. Claire Cooper has the even more difficult task of playing Victorian child Hatty as she grows up to womanhood with the speed of a ticking clock. Seven other cast members work like Trojans to make the whole enterprise a truly magical experience.

The quietly-spoken start fails to defeat all the cellophane packet rattlers, but a near-capacity audience soon warms to the charm and cleverness of Pearce's original plot. I was particularly taken by one first-time theatre-goer who asked his mother: "Are we allowed to laugh mum?" A real winner.

Runs until Saturday. Evening performances start at 7pm. Matinees today at 1.30pm, Fri 10am and Sat 2pm. Box Office: (01325) 467 071.

Published: 04/03/2004