If you were born with blades for fingers, you might consider becoming a topiarist or hairdresser. And if you were born with the vision to be able to tell a story without saying a word, you would be Matthew Bourne.

The UK's most popular and successful choreographer has brought his dance version of Tim Burton's fairytale fantasy Edward Scissorhands to the stage of the Liverpool Empire and people loved it.

Some will have been fans of Johnny Depp in the 1990 original film and others will follow New Adventures' every move. I am in the latter camp but plan to watch the former before January is out.

Scissorhands is a whimsical tale of the young man-made Edward who, as the title suggests, has scissors for hands. Bourne is careful to fill us in with Edward's backstory before he is taken in by a suburban family and falls in love with daughter Kim.

Les Brotherston's suburban set is fabulous and Bourne lets us in to every house to meet the families that live inside: the Boggs and Monroes, who are eager to know what goes on in each other's back yards, the upright Uptons, the creepy Evercreeches and the grubby Grubbs.

There is no prima or principal dancer here - each member of the ensemble works as hard as the next and the character work is insightful and intriguing. You would have to see the show 10 times to appreciate the intricacies of the choreography but the whole is a joy.

Bourne is not known for creating fabulous roles for women - his Swan Lake is a corps of male swans - but Ashely Shaw is a shining star as the young Kim Boggs. Her movements are fluid and effortless and I could have watched her for hours.

Alongside her beau, Jim Upton (Tom Clark), I am reminded of Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta as Sandy and Danny from Grease and the 50s swing number would go down well in any West End musical.

Bill Boggs bears an uncanny resemblance to the esteemed leader of Cheshire West and Chester council, Mike Jones, but I am not sure if Mr Jones would have been able to keep up the pace.

New Adventures' fans will know and love Dominic North, who played the eponymous role. He has been with the company for more than 10 years and has danced most of the principal roles in the repertoire.

Dancing with 12 inch long, heavy, fibre glass fingers strapped to his hands is a challenge, he admitted in the Q & A after the show. but you couldn't help but fall in love with him. He is a joy to watch, especially in his final farewell duet with his love Kim, although I know that he can give even more than he did on the opening night.

The annual Christmas ball at Hope Springs (not eternal) is full of festive fun and I felt like dancing in the aisles, but alas this heralds the beginning of Edward's downfall.

Film fans, dance devotees and anyone who knows the identity of Bourne must go see.

To book tickets for Edward Scissorhands visit the Liverpool Empire.