We all know those little societies or groups which bring together the lonely, the congenitally inept or the love-lorn.

These groups have a teacher who presents water colour painting, pottery, macrame, basket weaving or ballroom.

In Stepping Out the group of people we see have come together on Thursdays to learn tap dancing at an adult class run by a selfless, rather appealing former professional company dancer who never made it called Mavis (Patsy Palmer).

How this mildly intrepid young woman, who frequently needs all her diplomatic skills, holds together fractured types who come to her with two left legs and life problems, is the traffic of the play.

Some of the class members have personal tragedies in their background or they sigh overweight problems, or agonise over their inadequacy when it comes to a buck and wing step.

We grow to like them as the evening progresses and the script can be very funny. The end of it all is a charity showcase and their devotion and good humour as they pass through the final ups and downs towards their particular baptism of fire, can be absorbing.

The play is now as old as the hills and there has been a film where Shelley Winters was the marvellous rehearsal pianist.

All of which makes me think that this particular theme is now long past its sell-by-date. But the audience like it and it is good humoured, droll and occasionally touching.

I much admired Matthew Phillips as Geoffrey, the nervous insurance clerk who somehow attains confidence in the end. But everyone here makes a good fist of the character they've been given and the audience loved it.

Running time: Two and a half hours until Saturday.

Richard Edmonds