When Jacques Offenbach composed La Belle Helene in 1864 he used the classical story of Paris and Helen of Troy to send up the hedonism and loose morals of court life under Napoleon III, its parody of antiquity providing an excuse for its permissiveness.

Marguerite Jennings's sparkling production for All Souls' AOS, conducted with pace and panache by Sheila Moulds, pointed up the timeless relevance of its wit with its bright jokey sets, wonderful costumes, and pertinent topical references to celebrity culture, lost luggage, Terminal 5 and unreliable Olympic torches.

Every single member of the cast whether a principal or chorus member entered into the spirit of this exuberant and inventive production, singing strongly and acting with conviction.

Amy Greenwood gave a superb performance as Helen, sexy, seductive, funny and singing quite beautifully.

Brian Harrison as Paris was suitably smitten, his sweet tenor a perfect match for her ringing soprano.

Roly Robertshaw managed to make Helen's inept husband Menelaus quite sympathetic, wrestling with his deckchair, looking almost sweet, whether in his fetching purple tunic or his tasteless holiday gear.

There were equally strong performances from Arthur Talbot as scheming Calchas, Wilf Franklin and Benedict Walsh camping it up Little and Large fashion as Ajax and Achilles, James Smithies as Agamemnon and Mich-ael Templeton as Orestes.

The spoken dialogues were perfectly timed, and pianists Catherine Warwick and Margaret Mitchell tirelessly accompanied throughout.

La Belle Helene runs until Saturday. Don't miss it.