Considering the Imperial Ice Stars theatrical ice skating company has recently performed Sleeping Beauty on arena-sized stages across Europe, it's something of an achievement they've managed to squeeze their exuberant production into the elegant but rather more confined stage of the Theatre Royal at all.

Although the stage may be smaller than the 24-strong cast of world, European and national championship skaters - between them they have won more than 200 competition medals - may be used to, it still required more than ten miles of piping to keep it frozen.

With Tchaikovsky as a romantic, rousing musical backdrop, the youthful troupe skated their way into the audience's hearts with their elegant and frequently spectacular show.

Against impressive sets and in sumptuous costumes, they cut ravishing figures as they threw themselves around the stage with joyous abandon.

My ten-year-old daughter did observe dryly that after 100 years asleep it was lucky Princess Aurora still had her skates on, but this was nit-picking in what was an exhilarating mix of virtuoso ice dance, impressive stagecraft and daring acrobatics.

And while I'm sure I wasn't alone in holding my breath every time an ambitious jump was attempted, there wasn't a single fall.