I Am Beast, Mercury Studio Theatre, Colchester.

THERE can't be many puppet shows that have an age restriction - but then there are very few puppet theatre companies like Sparkle and Dark.

Their latest show is I Am Beast, a thought-provoking and heart wrenching tale about grief and how we deal with loss.

In it Ellie, a quite outstanding performance from Hannah Lawrence, seeks refuge in a world of superheroes and crime fighters after her mum dies.

There she's Blaze, wreaking revenge on Doctor Oblivion and his evil henchwoman Yolanda in a whirlwind of intricately staged fight scenes, amusing 'silent movie-esque' chases and tongue-in-cheek dialogue.

It's funny, the light to the very dark shade that's taking place in the real world.

Soon those two worlds start to merge and out of the darkness comes the Beast of the title, a grotesque and menacing giant puppet which haunts Ellie's conscious thoughts.

The puppet leaps from tables, climbs up doors and generally lollops around the stage coming in and out of Ellie's life at ever more regular intervals until the 'beast' inside Ellie eventually escapes in a outburst of anger and rage.

Despite the age restriction, I actually think this is an ideal show for young people, especially those dealing with the loss of a loved one.

My only criticism would be not enough of the play is invested in telling the dad's story so we can see Ellie's struggles through his eyes but other than that minor point this is a beautifully made show, dynamic, funny and poignant in equal measure.

NEIL D'ARCY-JONES