It's animal magic by all concerned

After a much-praised performance of Les Miserables last year, the group won a prize for best young achiever for the world of art and culture, and this week are tackling Just So on the Devonshire Park Theatre stage.
Just So, based on Rudyard Kipling's Just So stories for children, is a decidedly more upbeat and colourful affair than last year's excellent offering but boasts just as many talented, and impressively confident, performances.
The show focuses on the Elephant's Child and the Kolokolo Bird as they set out to save the world from a giant crab, guided only by the Eldest Magician and the various animals they meet along the way, with the aid of song, dance and a little bit of magic.
There are plenty of stand-out performances, including Jonathan Stevens as the inquisitive Elephant's Child, Meggie Dennis as his no-nonsense, eye-rolling sidekick, the particularly amusing double act of the French baker Parsee Man (Ryan Funnell) and fed-up Cooking Stove (Ben Gurney), Jack Naish as the unpopular Rhino, Laura Sivers and Catherine Anderson as the perky prey Giraffe and Zebra, Matt Wentworth and Jonny Fitzpatrick as the louche Leopard and Jaguar, Mia Longman as the tenacious Dingo Dog and Lucy Anderson as the Kangaroo.
But not only were all the leads excellent, the smaller roles and the ensemble were also very impressive, as were the costumes – the crocodile especially.
Director Peter Gurr and co-director/choreographer Debbie Hackett have elicited some superb performances from the young cast – and a thoroughly enjoyable evening's entertainment.
Just So is on until Saturday, with evening performances at 7.30pm and a Saturday matinee at 2.30pm. Tickets cost £10-£14. Call 412000.