Once again the Northern Stage Ensemble has produced a real Christmas treat for young children.

The Happy Prince will captivate even the youngest child, my usually boisterous two and three year old sat glued to the spot for the entire 50 minutes.

Bold bright costumes, wonderful puppets, music, songs and plenty of lively activity from the four-strong cast had them enthralled.

The play, based on a story by Oscar Wilde, is a touching tale of a swallow who stops at the feet of a golden statue of a prince on her way to Egypt.

She finds that although he is called the Happy Prince he is in fact sad because he watches over a City where people are unhappy.

The two become friends as the Prince shows the swallow the suffering around him with examples of children who are sick or poor and the swallow decides to stay in the City to help him spread some happiness.

My daughter thought the Prince was crying because his eyes were taken out, but in fact it was giving his precious eyes as a gift that made him happy again.

By making sure everyone has a happy Christmas the play has a real festive feel, and there are lots of light-hearted references to the City being Newcastle which makes it fun for children and adults.

As well as being a lovely story the importance of friendship and generosity at this time of year are spelled out in a beautifully simple way.

NFor ticket details on The Happy Prince, ring (0191) 230 5151.