"Love Changes Everything" begins the opening number of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Aspects of Love. To which you could add: "Not necessarily for the better". This is the story of two men and two women, and a good deal of intertwining sexual self-gratification.

The show first opened in the West End in 1989, but this is no tatty touring revival. The original London production was a big-scale affair, but here director Nikolai Foster has introduced a much more claustrophobic, almost Strindberg-like atmosphere by setting the action within a series of tall revolving towers (designer: Robert Jones). This is greatly to the production's benefit.

The highly experienced cast face an uphill battle to engage your sympathy: the characters they play are really not very nice people. The exception to this is perhaps George, who is in his eighties, and busy planning the bibulous wake that is to follow his funeral. However, he can still attract women many years his junior, and gets sharply jealous when Rose, an actress, moves on to the much younger Alex.

David Essex, who was, the programme reveals, personally selected for this revival by Andrew Lloyd Webber, is indeed an ideal choice for the part of Alex, and huskily works miracles with Don Black and Charles Hart's sometimes incredibly awkward and clunky lyrics.

Rose and Alex are given an appropriately hard edge by Shona Lindsay and Matt Rawle. They are complemented by Poppy Tierney as Giulietta, an Italian sculptress: she is also keen to point herself in Alex's direction. Towards the end, matters move on a generation as Jenny (fresh-voiced Rachel Lynes), Rose and George's 15-year-old daughter, ends up in bed with Alex.

Singing is strong all round, with the maximum made of Lloyd Webber's, to me, sometimes repetitive, and not especially memorable score. But in spite of the top-notch production, this show didn't draw me in - give me an old-fashioned, romantic, aspect of love every time.

Aspects of Love continues at Milton Keynes Theatre tonight and tomorrow. Tickets: 0870 060 6652 or www.miltonkeynestheatre.com The production visits the Wycombe Swan from January 22-26, 2008.