English National Ballet - The Nutcracker, The Mayflower, Southampton

ENGLISH National Ballet has taken a brave step with its all-new production of Tchaikovsky's Christmassy classic with a radical redesign courtesy of cartoonist Gerald Scarfe.

Sadly, though, it's an experiment that leaves you yearning for the more traditional interpretation which the ENB has done so well in the past.

Scarfe's designs are colourful and imaginative, but are so brash and overpowering they obliterate the ballet's subtle magic. Beano readers might have enjoyed it, but anyone expecting something a little more substantial would have been disappointed.

The music, of course, is beautiful, and the dancers did their best but, thanks to bulky costumes and some uninspired choreography, were not allowed to shine.

I'm always open to new ideas, but this was one gamble that failed to pay off.