Ballet Shoes: 'magnificent' show 'never puts a foot wrong'

Stage adaptation of Noel Streatfeild's much-loved children's novel is a Christmas treat

Ballet Shoes at the National Theatre.
The performances are 'terrific' across the board
(Image credit: Manuel Harlan)

For its big Christmas show, the National Theatre has cooked up an absolute treat, said Nick Curtis in The London Standard. Noel Streatfeild's much-loved children's novel "Ballet Shoes" (1936) is about three female foundlings who are adopted by an eccentric paleontologist, and brought up, during his long absences, by his niece on the Cromwell Road in London.

Posy is a budding ballerina, Pauline is a gifted actress and Petrova proves to be a natural mechanic, who dreams of being a pilot. This first major stage adaptation, written by Kendall Feaver and directed by Katy Rudd, honours the spirit of the book, but is also its own thing – and it works brilliantly. "Suffused with gung-ho spirit, exuberance and larky wit", it is a celebration of plucky young women and "never puts a foot wrong".

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