There is often a tension in children's theatre between the easy and the dramatically interesting. The easy option is simply to aim to please the greatest number of people, in particular the adults - the people who book and pay for the tickets- who are always keen on shows based on books that they love, and who as a group are probably less likely to take risks than a bunch of nonagenarians on a bowls holiday in Bournemouth.
At the Polka, Annie Wood directs her own adaptation of Michael Bond's famous stories about the small bear from darkest Peru who is left at Paddington railway station and discovered by the Brown family, who take him home to wreak havoc and bring cheer. While she appears to be taking the easy option, in reality she is attempting something more interesting. The start of this show is a delight, a strange and surreal evocation of 1950s Britain where people appear out of suitcases and the station's arrival and departure boards make Alice's Wonderland look quite sane.
In the interests of straightforward narrative, it is probably just as well that the show doesn't maintain this level of invention. Inevitably, as it settles down into narrative, it becomes a touch episodic, with some of Paddington's familiar scrapes and run-ins with nosy neighbour Mr Curry working better than others: chases really don't work to best effect on tiny stages.
However, Wood clearly isn't just concentrating on how to tell the story, but also how to make it come alive. There are some lovely moments, including a colourful trip to Peru, another into Mr Gruber's memories, a crowd-pleasing firework display and a rather touching, almost spectral appearance by Paddington's beloved Aunt Lucy, conjured from a pair of glasses and a shawl. It is imaginative touches like this that lend the evening a distinctive quality. Like Bond's original creation, the show is a real charmer.
· Until February 4. Box office: 020-8543 4888
