Beauty and the Beast is one of the greatest gothic fairy tales, while the old Coventry Cathedral forms the country's most imposing set of gothic ruins. The two ought to be the perfect complement for one another, though the Belgrade Theatre's outdoor production actually begins in a crazily revolving council flat, which is clearly intended to give the story a contemporary spin.
Bella is a young Kylie fan living on a West Midlands estate. Her uncouth siblings, Darren and Wayne, load their father with demands for expensive consumer items, though Bella's request for a red rose cannot be fulfilled from the Argos catalogue. Hence she finds herself delivered in a hatbox to a portly pig man, at which point John Wright's production becomes very peculiar indeed.
Wright is co-founder of Trestle, the masked theatre specialists, and artistic director of inspired physical theatre loons, Told by an Idiot. His take on the story contains many trademark elements: Bella's relatives sport gormless latex expressions with exaggerated Simpsons-style overbites; while the action unfolds through a bizarre sequence of sight gags and set pieces.
It would be gratifying if the dialogue sustained the same level of invention, yet the scenario has been devised collectively by the company, and the lack of linguistic organisation frequently shows. A skit on Crimewatch-style appeal shows falls criminally flat, while ad-libs on subjects such as Frida Khalo's moustache are simply not very funny.
In fact, one begins to wonder if Wright's ensemble exert rather too much energy celebrating their own powers of invention and not quite enough connecting with a young audience. Still, it's impossible not to feel a certain thrill of enchantment as the lighting plays across the cathedral's skeletal shell, and a packed crowd seem prepared to raise the roof, were there a roof to raise.
· Until August 6. Box office: 024-7655 3055.
