When someone tells you you're going to see an educational performance, for young people, about bullying, usually you'd be forgiven for cringing at the thought.

However, Sparkleshark caused no cringing, and was engaging throughout.

Sparkleshark, is a play that sees kids from different points of the social spectrum come together, coincidentally on a rooftop. They begin by disliking one another, fearing one another, until they find themselves collaborating in writing an imaginative fairytale.

The cast from Bath's Next Stage Youth charmed the audience with their unique charisma, inducing laughter at all the right moments.

Each character had a different story to tell, each one portrayed clearly. The actors playing the main parts had a lot of lines to learn, but remembered them without fault, while the actors with fewer lines also gave strong performances.

It was evident in the smooth flow of the performance that some good teamwork had taken place.

With the youthfulness and contagious energy of Next Stage Youth, not one member of the audience left the theatre without a smile on their face.

Julie Knight