Until Saturday January 27, Theatre Royal Bath.

THINK of tap dancing and images of Fred Astaire or worse, Bruce Forsyth spring to mind.

But Tap Dogs, showing in Theatre Royal Bath until tomorrow, shatters any illusions that tap dancing is a lost art from 1930s movies or only fit for past-it celebrities.

From start to finish the show is an exhilarating, fast-paced spectacle with six men oozing testosterone and looking more suited for a building site than the theatre, stomping and tapping their hearts out.

The changing rhythms are relentless and the dancers make use of different surfaces from wood, metal, corrugated iron and even water to show off their raw tap dancing talent.

They also act as scene changers, building up their set as they go along ending with a makeshift scaffolding unit which wobbles precariously as they batter out their routines.

The show is both clever, particularly in the part when the six combine complicated steps and bouncing balls in time, and funny.

The beefiest, broadest dancer is given the campest moves while the the audience have a laugh at the front three rows' expense when they get a good soaking as the dancers don wellies and dance in a water filled trough.

If you've got a nervous disposition, an aversion to loud noises or a fear of water, Tap Dogs isn't for you. Otherwise, it's a treat.

By Helen Thomas