Weird and wistful, this production by Speeltheater Holland makes challenging but at times enchanting viewing. Based on a book by the French author Michel Tournier and aimed at children aged 6 and over, it filters the tradition of commedia dell'arte through modern sensibilities, with a dash of starry-eyed celestial fantasy thrown in. Guus Ponsioen's outlandish music, ranging from the merrily folksy to the minor-key melancholic and even the operatic, lends richly textured accompaniment to the eerie black-and-white world of Onny Huisink's production. The narrative is too meandering, but there's no shortage of verve and originality.

The hour-long piece is peopled by bickering couples. First we meet Sun and Moon, who squabble in words and song over who is the more beautiful and best loved. Both play piano and sing with eccentric vigour; Sun even toots a mean saxophone.

Meanwhile, two actor/puppeteers, equally prone to disagreement, unfold the tale of Columbina, a feisty and flirtatious laundress, and Perô, the lovelorn baker. The rag-doll puppet pair live in two cardboard cut-out houses. Smoke curls from Perô's chimney as he bakes the town's bread through the night; soapsuds fly as Columbina busies herself with washtub in the sunshine of the day. While the shy Perô longs for the chance to show Columbina the wonders of the moonlit hours, Paletino, a louche, lanky house-painter with jet-black curls, comes calling. Columbina is smitten - but it's not long before she discovers that whirlwind romance doesn't necessarily lead to wedded bliss.

There are some wonderful moments, such as when Columbina performs a saucy striptease, and the overrunning of Perô's house with scurrying furry mice. It's a lovely surprise, too, when a large black cube unfolds to reveal the brightly coloured riverside scene of Columbina and Palentino's honeymoon, like a page in a pop-up book. But there's a lot for young minds to absorb, with some of Ponsioen's patter songs flying by so fast that the lyrics can be hard to catch. The four performers, though, are charming, and while it is often wacky, the story is also touching, in particular when Columbina returns at last to find Perô's house stuffed with bread replicas of herself. Strange and sweet.

Box office: 020-7645 0560, to Oct 12

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