Chapterhouse Theatre Company are putting a 1940s spin on their production of classic fairy tale 'Beauty and the Beast'.

The production, currently on summer tour, begins with 6 child evacuees in a natural garden in the 1940's who decide to put on a play of "Beauty and the Beast". "I was given free reign with this adaption:" said writer Laura Turner. "I wanted to do something different and something that reflected me. As I grew up I was influenced by Enid Blyton's "Famous Five" series. That's one of the reasons I went with the 1940's." At first glance it appeared an odd setting for a classic fairy tale but Mrs Turner is not worried this will alienate a modern audience. She said: "We're staying very true to the original fairy tale and trying to keep the childish magic from the Disney version alive so the production will still be relevent to a modern audience. The 1940's setting is just our spin on it."

"The natural garden looks fantastic:" she added. "We want the audience to feel like they've been taken back in time."

Another point of relevence for regular Chapterhouse followers is Louisa and her trusty counterpart Milky-White the cow. They are characters created by Mrs Turner herself who are now appearing in their 4th Chapterhouse production.

"They started four years ago and now go hand in hand with the company:" she said. "They always get a giggle. The children love her."

Louisa is the main evacuee of the children in the garden but as they begin to act out the fairy tale she becomes Beauty.

"The children play the parts of adults, so it's a bit tongue in cheek!"

The production finishes back in the 1940s with a happy ending for both the fairy tale and the child evacuees.

In previous years Louisa has been portrayed by Tara Hynan, an actress and press officer with Chapterhouse, but this year she is making way for television star Georgina Sherrington, best known from CITV's series The Worst Witch.

Mrs Turner said: "Georgina was looking for theatre work and heard about our production. The concept really appealed to her and she was wonderful at our auditions. She's a fantastic actress and lovely to work with."

Georgina said: "I'm incredibly excited! This was one of my favourite stories when I was young and this new adaption is sure to capture its magic."

The production has already experienced a successful start to its tour with a sell-out show in Claremont, Surrey, and will soon be going on to Middlesex and Lincolnshire. "It's been great:" said Mrs Turner. "And he have been very luck with the weather so far. Though we have very dedicated actors so if we have bad weather we always go on unless it's too dangerous to do so."

The production comes to Alice Holt Forest on August 4 and tickets can be purchased from the company's website www.chapterhouse.org.