WITH so many high-tech special-effect laden Christmas shows out there, it was refreshing, indeed charming, to see a more gentle and traditional alternative.

Doctor Dolittle (at The Lowry until January 5) is an enjoyable family musical but, if I could talk to the animals, I’d tell them to speed things up a little and drop some of the less memorable songs.

Mark Williams, familiar from film and television, gave a calm and steady performance as the good doctor, but perhaps it was too calm. It would have been nice to have seen a few flashes of eccentricity here and there. Still, at least he let the emotions out in the second half.

Praise must go to Patrick Sullivan whose energy and sheer likeability sharpened the pace and powered the show. He played Matthew Mugg , a chirpy and good-humoured sort.

He and the delightful Mollie Melia Redgrave, playing Emma Fairfax, had great chemistry, and Miss Redgrave’s feistiness helped prevent the show from dropping into blandness.

Coronation Street veterans Vicky Entwistle and Brian Capron delivered as, respectively, the voice of Polynesia the parrot and circus ringmaster Albert Blossom. I was particularly impressed by Miss Entwistle’s elegance of movement.

The highly talented ensemble worked wonders with the War Horse-style puppetry, creating emotion from the slightest dip of a head. The big bear, lion, pushmi-pullyu, giant pink snail and lunar moth may have provided the wow factor, but it was fascinating to observe the smaller puppets like the dog and goat acting out their own narratives.

The one dimensional backdrops, with their pastel-coloured illustrations could not be described as a visual treat. Surely the fantastical, lush Sea Star Island deserved more than just a few pictures of flowers. In a couple scenes, the backdrop was just a picture of some coloured rectangles.

Overall, this is a quality production and I’d recommend it to families who want a bit of time out from the franticness of the festive season.