With a cast of more than 40 and tunes written by Kander and Ebb, Kiss Of The Spider Woman The Musical can hardly fail.

Brighton Theatre Group's lavish production is great fun with showgirls, a live band and beautifully choreographed fantasy scenes.

The story is set in a prison in a country, somewhere in South America, run by a Fascist regime.

Two prisoners are sharing a filthy cell. Valentin is a political prisoner and Molina is a swishy gay man with no interest in politics, jailed for corrupting a minor.

At first they don't get on, but Molina wins Valentin over by talking about his favourite movies. He is obsessed with the vampy actress Aurora and conjoures up song and dance routines from her films to escape the misery of prison.

Valentin is tortured and Molina is humiliated but over time they form a friendship, believing they can trust each other.

Meanwhile more political prisoners are dragged into jail, covered in cuts and bruises, by a brutal pair of chain-smoking guards and the warden keeps trying to force Molina to betray his friend.

Actors Gary Lynn and Marc Valentine are excellent as Molina and Valentin. They both sing beautifully and portray the roles well, although Lynn fluffed a few lines on the opening night.

Emma Edwards, who played Madame Giry in the West End's The Phantom Of The Opera, is terrific as the Spider Woman, a seductive but deadly character from one of Molina's fantasies.

The production is at its best during the joyful song and dance numbers. The cast puts boundless energy into each routine and one features showgirls wearing fabulous costumes including feather head-dresses and Brighton's entire allocation of sequins for the decade.

The uplifting dance routines lull the audience into a sense of security before they are shocked by the serious side of the play, a depiction of the abuse a Fascist regime can inflict on people it labels as degenerates.