I ARRIVED at the Library Theatre expecting an evening of magic and I left feeling rather deflated.

This venue has a long and proud tradition of producing Christmas shows to delight all the family, but The Golden Goose lacks that special spark that sets little tongues wagging as they drift off into the night.

The little lad sitting in front of me, who must have been about seven, spent most of the first half fidgeting and I spent a lot of it looking at my watch.

What irritated me most was the flowery nature of some of the dialogue and the way a couple of the main characters lapsed into mock Shakespearian style speech towards the end of act two. The adults got the joke, as you would expect, but there were a few bemused young faces near me.

I wonder if this production would have been better if the company's very own King Midas, Chris Honer, had directed it? Charles Way wrote AND directed The Golden Goose and I think there just isn't enough going on to hold the attention of the younger children. If you are planning to take the kids to this, make sure they're at least aged eight or over.

The easy to follow storyline follows a group of people, ranging from a poor family to a King and his two daughters, whose lives are transformed by the finding of a magical bird. There's even a dash of romance thrown in for good measure and a wacky inventor, a character I particularly enjoyed.

The cast of eight are a jolly bunch who really enter into the spirit of the show - the best performances come from Paul Stocker and Andrew Grose as the sibling rivals, the pretty Eleanor Howell as Dajona and Stephen Finegold as the Fairy King.

Every year I give thanks that there are theatre companies like the Library who provide an alternative to pantomime, but, as they said on one or two of my school reports during my rebellious years - this is a case of could do better. Disappointing.

* Until January 13. The box office is on 0161 236 7110 or you can book online at www.librarytheatre.com