This hard-working small touring company was formed last year, and made its debut at this theatre, where last week they gave four performances of their excellent, small-scale production of The Nutcracker.

The company is composed of five men and five women, but manages to present all the characters one would expect in this work by virtue of a plethora of high-speed costume changes in the wings. They are a likeable lot, of varied abilities, but the stand-out performance was Sam Bishop’s Drosselmeyer. He seems to have a very close relationship with Clara’s mother (no sign of a father), and, after a rather formal start, his character leaps to life in an engaging performance in which he is an attractive young man, rather than the doddering eccentric of so many productions.

He can dance well, too, as we saw in his many solos, and in his other roles, most notably in the Russian Dance. The object of his affections, Clara’s mum, is danced by Maria Engel, who defines the character clearly, and has a lot to do elsewhere. I particularly enjoyed her Arabian Dance, where she was well-partnered by Diarmaid O’Meara. They made a glamorous pair.

Amy Coughlan is also a fine dancer with a clear, long line. She makes an excellent Clara, acting and miming so that every nuance is clear. Her Nutcracker Prince was Christopher James who dances well enough but, small, and with a surprising amount of weight on him, doesn’t manage to come over as very princely. I very much like the battle with the Rat King, (most companies stick to the Mouse King of E.T. A. Hoffman’s original), with Pere Bodi Perez in an impressive costume, and with gutsy Clara doing a lot of the fighting herself. Kazuka Oike made quite a character of the Sugar Plum Fairy. This is a traditional version of The Nutcracker, with limited forces used to excellent effect to provide an enjoyable evening.

The company will be at the Stantonbury Theatre, Milton Keynes, on December 10 and the Kenton Theatre, Henley, the next night.