A festive show with depth

At Christmas time the theatres go panto crazy, with stages across the capital a-wishy washy with cross-dressing soap stars and X Factor has-beens stringing out their 15 minutes of fame. But what do you do if the thought of yelling 'he's behind you!' every five minutes is your idea of hell?

Well, you could take yourself along to The Mermaid, a high-flying fantasy fairy tale that's sprinkled with seasonal stardust, yet stays a world away from gaudy panto fare.

The brainchild of Danish theatre director Katrine Wiedemann, this version of Hans Christian Andersen's celebrated folk tale The Little Mermaid features the combined talents of Sweden's Cirkus Cirkor and Danish theatre ensemble Kaleidoskop. The result is a mix of theatre, dance and circus that aims to let the imagination take flight.

The story of a mermaid who falls for a human prince, and the complications which ensue, may be a fantasy but it carries a powerful emotional depth charge. Wiedemann believes that circus skills are the perfect way to capture the magical spirit of the tale. 'Circus works well when there's a simple story to work with and in The Little Mermaid the emotions are universal - everyone can relate to that feeling of loving someone, but not being loved back.'

Still, it's a tricky balancing act, with the action blending dance, including a jaunty sailor chorus, high wire and acrobats with occasional outbreaks of dialogue into a seamless flow of action. 'The whole point is that the circus skills are used for telling the story, not just illustrating it. The narrative dialogue is an extra element, it's not there for storytelling. The whole thing is an integrated experience.'

Key to pulling that off is a platform that rises vertically from floor to ceiling and back, which helps create the illusion of an underwater world. 'It looks like it's floating but it's darned heavy!' says Wiedemann. 'It represents the idea of weightlessness and it's exciting, because it's high in the air. You feel the tension and the frailty of the artists as they strive to conquer gravity.'

The Mermaid is Wiedemann's third venture into the rapidly growing world of circus theatre, having previously worked with Cirkus Cirkor on a version of Romeo And Juliet. For her, the biggest challenge is getting these accomplished tricksters to rein in their natural temptation to glitz up their stunts.

'It can be hard because I'm saying: "I want one per cent of what you can do because it's about emotions, it's not about tricks." At first they don't get the fact that they're not showing off all their fantastic skills. But they love it when they discover that they've got a little actor inside them, who's been bursting to get out all along!'

Tomorrow until Jan 7, Queen Elizabeth Hall, South Bank SE1, Tue to Sat 7.30pm, Sat and Sun mats 2pm, £12 to £27.50, £6 to £13.75 concs. Tel: 0870 380 0400. www.sbc.org.uk Tube: Waterloo/Embankment

CIrkus Cirkor & Kaleidoskop: The Mermaid
Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre
The South Bank Centre,Belvedere Road, SE1 8XX