There was a time when babies were considered a menace in the theatre, but current thinking suggests even babes in arms enjoy a good show. Apparently, in Sweden, they have productions for tots that last longer than King Lear; Baby Balloon - the latest show for the six- to 24-month age range from the pioneering Oily Cart - lasts a more manageable 50 minutes, every single one a delight.
What's fascinating is that, unable to fall back on theatre's traditional props of narrative and text, Baby Balloon roams into experimental-theatre territory that owes more to live art than the West End. Finn Peters' improvised jazz score has a genuinely eerie edge; the movement has its roots in contemporary dance and circus; and the entire theatre is transformed into a huge installation in which great white balloons hang down like pale moons.
Each baby must be accompanied by a carer because this is touch-me-feel-me theatre of the highest order, in which the fourth wall is blown to smithereens. There are balloons to be hit, a wondrous open-mouthed moment when the children's videoed faces start appearing as if by magic on a huge balloon, and a tiny tottering lamp-lit parade. This is the play as play in its purest sense, and though some might argue that most under-twos will find something to interest them in any new environment, the sheer quality of their concentration and the complete lack of distress suggest that - just like me - the babies found these 50 transforming minutes a reason to be cheerful.
· At Battersea Arts Centre, London (020-7223 2223) from Tuesday until Saturday. Then touring.
