DARKER than the deepest dungeon, this land of Gothic gloom provides a haunting setting for choreographer David Bintley’s masterly interpretation of the classic morality tale.

Wild and wicked woods, a castle that would have had Norman Bates screaming to be let out and calling for his mother… believe me, this is blacker than the depths of deepest Hades.

And upping the ante all the while is the perfect combination of Philip Prowse’s stunning designs and Mark Jonathan’s lighting effects, which change the mood faster than a chameleon on caffeine.

Nevertheless, the night still belongs to the central characters, a pathos-drenched Beast played by Iain Mackay and his beautiful, vulnerable Belle, given the full Nao Sakuma treatment as only she knows how.

Mackay injects a strange quality to his monster, which is – superbly and ironically – almost as beautiful as the unconditional tenderness that Sakuma displays towards the hideous creature that has made a prisoner of her heart.

Meanwhile, the light and shade of the plot is subtly echoed by the pitch-black darkness of the forest and some dazzling, sustained ensemble work. Comic relief is provided in great store by a preposterously porcine Jonathan Payn as Monsieur Cochon and Marion Tait, a hysterically amusing Grandmere. She plays the cantankerous crone for all it’s worth, sweeping all before her with a deadly and deftly wielded walking stick.

And complimenting this feast for the eyes are some head-turning performances from Ambra Vallo’s Wild Girl, Laura-Jane Gibson’s coquettish Vixen and Joseph Caley’s Raven.

Michael O’Hare turns in his usual excellent performance as Belle’s father, the merchant who picks a rose that will ultimately prove to be such a thorn in his side.

Throughout, group performances by BRB artists and students of Elmhurst School for Dance provide ample proof that the present and future of ballet in the Midlands is in safe hands.

Beauty and the Beast runs at Birmingham Hippodrome until Sunday, October 2.

John Phillpott