Preview: Jane Eyre, Peacock Theatre, London

The London Children's Ballet is set to bring Charlotte Brontë's masterpiece, Jane Eyre, to London's West End. This adaptation, performed by 54 rising stars between the ages of nine and 15, follows the young orphan Jane's bittersweet journey from her bleak time at the charity school, Lowood, through to her tender relationship with Mr Rochester.

The new choreography, by Nicole Tongue, is set to a score composed by Julia Gomelskaya for the company's original production in 1997. It looks to be the latest success from the company, renowned for past performances such as The Scarlet Pimpernel.

A ballerina trained at London's Royal Ballet School, Tongue was commissioned to re-choreograph the work to suit a contemporary audience. "Jane Eyre is the story of one person's journey of self-discovery: as a young girl she learns to temper her anger and sense of injustice; as a woman she finds the courage to remain steadfast in her desires, and as an educated woman she finds the happiness that she is worthy of," says Tongue. "I hope the adults and the kids get a flavour of that through the show."

Turning to choreography was "a natural step" for Tongue, who started dancing aged three. She has choreographed for Birmingham Royal Ballet and Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

For Jane Eyre, she auditioned 600 children and selected 52. "We want to give talented young dancers the chance to be part of a professional West End production. For the majority, this experience confirms their dreams. It is very exciting to see the children respond and pick up the steps very quickly. Jane Eyre is a dense and complex story, and when you see kids getting excited and enjoying it, it makes me excited."

15 to 18 May (0844 412 4300)

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