Watching Bath Time it occurred to me that Toby Hulse, its creator/director, had hit on the perfect show for this very young age group (two to five), because for tots one of their daily highlights is their bath.

Therefore the rambunctious antics of the performers as they splashed about were completely understandable even to the most teeny-tiny members of the audience.

As we entered the auditorium the set exerted a great fascination. A beautiful, big, free standing Victorian bathtub drew many children on to the stage to have a look at what secrets were inside. My friend Tom (aged two) had a discreet fiddle with the taps, while others gazed in at the inflatable bath toys. There is also a magical bathroom cupboard, a rubber duck called Ernie, and lots of bathmats to sit on — a simple and accessible set, but still magical.

The plot (yes there is one!) is very jolly — John and Matt come to have their bath, but it’s broken so they decided to play at being plumbers. That didn’t work so we all called on Father Christmas to help. He provides them with a mini guitar and kazoo but that didn’t fix things either, so the Christmas Elf gives them a wrench. That’s more like it, if you know how to use it, which they don’t at first. So it’s water, water everywhere! Once they’re in the bath, the fun and games continue. They make a snow-storm from bubbles, play Grandad’s Beard, rescue Ernie from an iceberg then magic up tons of rubber duck friends for him, while playing jolly songs for everyone to join in with.

John McGrellis and Matt Christian Reed were the genial duo who enthralled the children with this lovely piece. From the rapt and wide-eyed reaction I saw around me I would describe Bath Time as a thought-provoking piece of theatre for the under-fives.