There's nothing unduly dark about these tales, really, and
resident company Giant Olive offers little to disturb a
sensitive nature beyond the need for a spot of hush somewhere
along the way.  Director Rafe Beckley has selected half a dozen
stories by Hans Andersen and explored their dramatic potential
with his actors. It all smacks a bit of the workshop, to be
honest, but there's nothing wrong with that when the outcome is
so inventive. A fish swallows a tin soldier? Snap open a purse
and here's its mouth. A field of flowers? Massed gloves and
we're there. Imaginative stagecraft is the brightest asset of
these Dark Tales .  The most entertaining episode is Little
Claus and Big Claus, in which Beckley's deft direction allows
comedy to energise a farce-tinged storyline. Less effective are
the ones that are propelled by direct-to-audience narration, not
least because so few of the actors inject any variation of pace,
energy, volume or tonal colour into their relentless
storytelling. There are times during The E