The climate crisis occupies a space in most people’s minds, but none more so than those who will have to live with the consequences. Creating a show for the children and young people due to inherit this troubled planet, and which sparks debate but doesn’t terrify, is a genuine challenge; one which co-directors Natasha Gilmore and Rob Evans have grasped with gentle hands while creating Too Close To The Sun.

There’s nothing dogmatic or even particularly educational about Barrowland Ballet’s new show. Instead, this visually arresting, occasionally witty and beautifully performed piece of dance-theatre is ripe with metaphor. At its centre lies the tale of Icarus and his bid to fly, with the three dancers acting as a friendly Greek chorus. ‘Drip, drip, drip’, they say repeatedly, referencing the wax on Icarus’ wings; but it doesn’t take too much environmental knowledge to spot the ice-cap parallel.

^{Pictures: Brian Hartley}

The performers do much to keep young audiences swept up in the action, but they’re not alone in this pursuit. Davey Anderson’s score, Fred Pommerehn’s set design and Monika Smekot’s projections all add to the show’s appeal. A sea fashioned from countless white carrier bags and empty milk cartons washes across the floor, threatening to engulf our heroine. A bag, plucked from the pile and billowed with air, has a tiny projection beamed onto it for magical effect. While upstage, three large, illuminated structures stand like giant cheese graters, providing footholds for anyone trying to escape the rising tide.

Barrowland Ballet: Too Close To The Sun  is on tour until Saturday 27 May, and part of Edinburgh International Children’s Festival, Wednesday 31 May–Saturday 3 June; reviewed at Platform, Glasgow.