I just wanted to be a Viking," is how theatrical clown Mark Conway explains the inspiration behind the new play from Gonzo Moose.

"I wanted to put on the fur costumes and horned hat and strut around on stage to Viking music."

Contrary to appearances this is no amateur re-enactment of school playtime but sophisticated and spectacularly funny physical theatre which lets clowning, slapstick, puppetry and the bizarre collide.

An epic tale of longboats, big beards, huge horns and straggly fur stoles, I Am A Viking concerns the adventures of brave and lusty Viking warrior Sigmund.

The hero is on a quest to kill a dragon but gets sidetracked by monsters, magic, cursed treasure, passionate love, treachery, danger and death.

This classic yarn may contain flavours of the familiar, as it is loosely based on old Nordic myth Sigurd Volsung - also the inspiration for Wagner's Ring Cycle and JRR Tolkien's Lord Of The Rings.

Physical theatre company Gonzo Moose was formed in 1999 by Mark and partner Pascale Straiton, who had both trained at Circomedia, the UK's Bristol-based premier training centre for clowns.

The pair have since built a fine reputation with shows such as The Ballad Of Janet And John, A Moment Of Magic and When In Rome and have toured nationally to both theatre and cabaret venues.

For this latest show, however, Pascale - who apparently wasn't as keen on being a viking as Mark - has opted out in favour of two new performers.

One is Michael Martins, a Brighton-based street performer who has been entertaining us for many years during the Streets Of Brighton festival with the Bull's Circus. The other is Emma Bailey, also a street performer for Stickleback Plasticus.

"It's good to have three people for a change," says Mark. "It means you can do all kinds of things you can't with just two - like build a human dragon."

If you think this all sounds childish, think again. It may be suitable for 13 years and up but Mark insists it will appeal to anyone with a sense of the ridiculous.

"It's not a kid's show, although kids like it," he says.

"Anyone from teenagers to old-age pensioners come along - anyone with a silly sense of humour."