A BITTERSWEET tale of fallen angels will be told through drama, opera, dance and puppetry next week.

Arcane marks the welcome return of Bridport-based Opera Circus and is a stunning piece of visual music theatre, a bittersweet morality tale that takes in all seven deadly sins.

It tells a contemporary folk tale of a group of musical angels who fall to earth and have their wings clipped by the most evil man in the world, Frank Slick, who forces them to accompany his dreadful lounge-lizard singing.

Another angel falls in love with a priest and helps him discover a lost book that is held sacred by his family.

However, they find that holding on to it comes at a price - Slick, his androgynous butler and his beloved pet cockerel are soon in hot pursuit, seducing them into their cartoon world of greed and indulgence.

Will another angel lose her wings? Will the family turn to the dark side? Will Frank Slick triumph again? Out of this Miltonian struggle comes an intoxicating piece of music theatre combining comedy with tragedy.

Opera Circus was formed in 1991 by Tina Ellen Lee, who was one of the major players of the physical theatre boom that developed in the last decade of the 20th century.

She said: "Arcane is darkly comic and jazzy with an edge and its music is absolutely beautiful.

"It's also very accessible and suitable for most ages - kids love it because it is so alive and physical and only lasts for 70 minutes.

"It is funny, but there is also a sad element and the audience will be laughing at something and then realise that actually there are very sad undertones and it makes them sit up and think about what they are seeing."

And as with most good theatre, Arcane contains themes that resonate with what is happening in the world today.

"We started work on the story long before the current fears of terrorism and war, but there are elements in the play that you can pick up on," says Tina.

"The angels are refugees, like many millions of people in the world today, and Frank Slick is the most evil man in the world. Now I'm not saying he's anything like George Bush, but it makes you think.

"The there's the priest who is so desperate to find his family's book that he lets his brother die. He's got his priorities wrong - and how man people today can say the same thing?"

Tina recently relocated from London to the tiny West Dorset village of Dottery and is finding the change from city to country helps the creative process.

"Moving here was the best thing I have ever done," she smiles. "It is beautiful and the quality of life is superb.

"It takes time to get used to the pace, compared to London, but you have to have the space in order to think.

"I haven't abandoned London altogether, but the mix of the city and Dorset works well together and there is a wonderful community here that it is fun to work with."

Arcane is at the Lighthouse, Poole on Wednesday, October 6 at 7.30pm. Tickets are £14.50 - call the box office on 01202 685222 for bookings and full details.