Ballroom, Nuffield Theatre Company at Southampton Guildhall.

WITH the renewed interest in 'proper' dancing sparked by the recent BBC TV series Strictly Come Dancing they were bound to be on a winner with Ballroom.

And what a good idea for the Nuffield to stage this production at Southampton's Guildhall where the question "Shall we dance?" has been posed so many times over the years.

The action revolves around four senior citizens - two men and two women - who have lost their partners in both in life and and on the dance floor. They now find themselves sitting awkwardly at a tea dance wondering why they had let themselves be persuaded to go.

As they ponder on this, memories from the past come flooding back and the ghosts of their younger selves and their lost loves dance before them.

At first determined not to set foot on the floor, each gradually opens up and they eventually begin to share their thoughts and face up to some painful truths.

Ballroom is in turns funny, tender and occasionally almost unbearably poignant. There were lots of older people in the audience whom I suspect had a lump in their throats as they empathised with the performers.

The casting was flawless with superb performances both from the four principals and their young counterparts. I must also mention the Guildhall's own tea dance regulars who took part in the production adding a very nice touch of realism.

It was an excellent show and my only criticism involves the venue itself. I was saddened to see our once glorious Guildhall looking so shabby. With masking tape holding the carpet together and the door to the ballroom looking as though it had been kicked in I can only hope that a refurbishment programme will soon receive serious consideration.