‘Gagged, bound, and dressed like a cream cake,” cries Bella pitifully. “What am I going to do?” Difficult question that, given that Bella has refused to sit down to dinner with the Beast, or – even more importantly in his bright, flashing, eyes – accept his oft-repeated invitation to dance around the castle floor. Will the Beast’s servants help her escape? Another difficult question, as the servants speak only through the tinkling medium of a glockenspiel. So communication isn’t exactly easy.

But the glockenspiel is a gentle instrument, and it gives a clue not only about the way the servants might react to Bella’s plight, but also to the whole atmosphere of this new Creation Theatre production of Beauty and the Beast.

Scriptwriter Daniel Bye has sprinkled the traditional story with gentle humour, as well as adding several touches of his own. In Bye’s version, Bella’s father (Paul Mundell, giving off the air of a serious-minded academic) is a shipwright.

A ship he has built sinks in a storm, with his son Tom (Jack Merivale, doubling as the show’s accomplished musician) on board. As a result, the family has to move, because Dad can’t face living near the sea any longer – admittedly the sound effects department hasn’t supplied a very big storm, so the ship does seem to go down rather easily.

But the move doesn’t immediately worry Bella’s two sisters (Sarah Price and Susie Riddell). “Let’s go clothes shopping,” they cry, as a friendly farmer they meet offers to stage a dance in their honour. Self-centred city girls born and bred, they proceed to ask him: “Is it true eggs come out of chickens?”

The developing relationship between Bella and the Beast (Laura Sanchez and John Dorney – pictured) is engagingly developed, without ever becoming sticky sweet. “You will die,” the Beast snarls to begin with, but before long Bella is snapping back: “This is supposed to be romantic, you know”.

Creation’s Beauty is economically and attractively staged (director Sarah Punshon). At first it seems a bit underwhelming compared with the familiar Disney film and theatre versions, but good, clear storytelling by a uniformly excellent cast soon envelopes you.

My favourite moment was when the Beast took Bella travelling to Norway, China, and a whirling German beer festival, each country hilariously characterised by appropriately colourful costumes. To judge by the squeals of delight from the (I would guess) seven-year-old sitting behind me, that was his favourite moment too.

Beauty and the Beast continues in the antique Mirror Tent at the Mini Plant, in Cowley, until January 16. Box office: telephone 01865 766266 or www.creationtheatre.co.uk