The overture may suggest otherwise, but this is not Rossini's famous opera, it is a new version of Beaumarchais's less famous play, by Lee Hall. Beaumarchais's 1775 comic intrigue was banned in France on publication because of its criticism of the aristocracy, and it is often cited as an early salvo in the coming revolution. Hall's updated romp - situated in the Hotel Seville on the Costa Brava where aging East End wide boy Bartholo has brought Essex girl Rosine intending to marry her, even if it's against her will - is not subversive enough to start a revolution. It does, however, make some playful points about the dumbing down of culture as the would-be writer turned janitor Figaro is squeezed between the machinations of Bartholo and spoilt aristo Count Almaviva, who wants Rosine for himself. As Figaro observes: "Have we survived two world wars, the Holocaust and the 1918 flu epidemic to end up with I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here?"
Hall gets the social details just right, from the Count's sighting of Rosine at the easyJet counter at Stanstead Airport to Rosine's pop star aspirations and Bartholo's threat to put his rival in "a pair of concrete flip-flops". Chris Larner's music and songs are brilliant, too, particularly the witty ditty that fills you in on Beaumarchais's life and work.
This is a hugely enjoyable show with the potential to be a popular hit, but it is still very uneven: some sections work superbly while others fall flat. The timing needs work. But the excellent cast are unceasingly energetic, and despite the flaws it's impossible not to leave in a little bubble of pleasure.
· Until March 11. Box office: 0117-987 7877.
