It's panto season, which is perhaps why Tomahawk Productions is staging The Winter's Tale rather than more substantial Shakespearean fare.

This magical tragicomedy boasts bumbling dolts, a villainous king, an impish rogue and a pair of soppy lovers who discover that true romance transcends class boundaries.

And the extraordinary finale to this curious story would not be out of place in a production also featuring a busty Widow Twanky or a genie in a lamp.

Shakespeare decides to flout the rule about never working with children or animals, as the play features two youngsters and a bear, although I don't think anyone will mind me revealing that in this production there is no live beast to pursue and devour the hapless Antigonus (Frazz Jarvis).

He has been ordered by the tyrant Leontes (Alex Nicholls) to abandon on a distant shore what Leontes believes to be the offspring of a liaison between Leontes' wife Hermione (Porscha Fermanis) and another king, Polixenes (Alex Kaye), who has spent - wait for it - nine months at Leontes' court, and appears to be very close to Hermione.

But the baby, Perdita - played by Grace Mountain, survives, after being rescued by shepherds.

Director Oliver Baird has decided to avoid any suggestion of flirting, or much tactile contact, between Hermione and Polixenes in the opening scenes.

This means a lot is asked of the talented Nicholls to show a man who is clearly delusional. He puts considerable energy into the role, coming across as a pathetic crank as well as a bully.

Some of the pithy dialogue is a treat: the raging Leontes even accuses Hermione of being a "bedswerver" who must stand trial - with fatal results.

Despite the anger of the first act, we veer into pastoral territory after the interval, in which jolly peasants prance, lovers swoon and a leering crook, Autolycos (a frenetic Bill Moulford), entertains the audience with his cunning - on Tuesday's opening night, he even pickpocketed the cast as they trotted on stage to take a bow.

So does it all end happily? Well sort of.

The Winter's Tale runs until Saturday.