Some things are so good you can’t have them all year round. Cadburys® Creme Eggs, that christmas Coca Cola® advert and the british summer are all superb examples of this. All these things are strictly limited to make sure they stay extra-exciting on the rare occasions they are available to us.

Matthew Bourne’s Edward Scissorhands at Sadler’s Wells theatre is one of these very special things. A stunning modern ballet that effortlessly blends the seemingly incompatible worlds of classical dance and Tim Burton’s cult gothic fairytale, the show represents everything I feel theatre should be.

Burton’s incisive yet subtle social commentary remains intact as does the haunting theme music composed by Danny Elfman. The dark fable about a boy created by a lonely inventor who dies, leaving his beloved creation alone and unfinished with only scissors for hands, lends itself perfectly to Matthew Bourne’s modern choreography.

For those of you not familiar with Tim Burton’s distinctive gothic style take a look at some of (in my opinion) his best work, such as; The Nightmare Before Christmas, Beetlejuice, Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and the disarming collection of seemingly childish poetry The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy.

As you may have noticed, Edward Scissorhands is a particular favourite of mine. It is something truly special that I intend to see as many times as my paycheque will allow. The show will run from 3rd December 2008 until 18th January 2009 so my window is limited, and cash will be low thanks to the inconvenience of having to buy christmas presents. I have a sneaking suspicion that more than one cousin will not be getting gifts this year….