Review: Pericles, Prince Of Tyre

To start with, the three actors run about the stage in a frenzied manner, making it difficult to see how the tale will settle into anything remotely gripping.

But the fear is misplaced - the company has set itself a mighty challenge, but miraculously rises to it.

Calling on every reserve they have to convey different characters with minimal scene changes, the trio use accents, mannerisms and incredibly nifty costume alterations to transform from pirates to royalty and from virgins to prostitutes.

Alex Topham is splendid as princess Thaisa and equally convincing as the cold-hearted whore - with a hitch of her skirt and jaunty addition of a feather in her hair, the transformation into a lady of the night is a highlight.

Philippa Palmer excels as the loveable Cockney-sounding narrator and is also impressive as the youthful lost princess Marina, but her turn as the brutish king Antiochus is a stretch too far for the imagination.

Ben Hadley is interestingly cast as the intense Pericles and lends a flavour of librarian chic to the role - softly spoken and dressed in a chunky knit jumper and cords.

With a running time of one hour 45 minutes, it is surprising that there is no interval, but it seems the company does not only want to avoid disrupting the flow, they also want to demonstrate how truly capable they are at keeping all the balls in the air.

The only element the cast have trouble with is trying to convey the differing ages of the characters, but as a young group without the benefit of make-up alterations, they really do demonstrate variety to an incredible degree.