Hannah and Harvey

Any piece of theatre inspired by true events carries a certain weight ' the trick is for the creative team to translate those events into compelling theatre.

Tim Nunn's Hannah and Harvey was inspired by the childhood experiences of the playwright's niece, Helen Nunn, who is now an illustrator and whose work is incorporated into the production.

12-year-old Hannah (Romana Abercromby) loves to draw, and to go on adventures of the imagination with her imaginery friend, Harvey. As his (or her) name suggests, Harvey is a 6-foot tall invisible rabbit. The pair share thrilling adventures of the imagination, but the untrustworthy Harvey has a tendency to lead Hannah into situations that trigger crippling anxiety attacks.

Director Katherine Morley co-ordinates animation, a blank canvas set and an unsettling soundscape to bring to life Hannah's internal world and, on the very fringes at first, the real world inhabited by her concerned father (Stewart Ennis). The result is surreal and more than a little scary.

However, the casting of a female actor (Clare Waugh, on great form) as Harvey raises questions that the play refrains from answering about Hannah's home life and history. This will perhaps be less frustrating for young people (aged 10 and over) drawn into the search-and-rescue story.

Commendably, this is no kitchen-sink drama about a troubled child, and if its aim is to offer an insight into Hannah's mind then it certainly succeeds, thanks in no small part to Abercromby's sparky, sympathetic performance. Whether the linear, 60-minute tale is a must-see for adults without children is debatable, though, and a schools tour may have been more appropriate than one of arts centres.