It's rare you experience a show which genuinely makes you think "I've never seen anything like this before".

But with Papa Mas, theatre company Told By An Idiot have created an epic event which sparkles with originality.

Fusing the vibrant imagery of Trinidadian carnival with fantastic live music and theatrical inventiveness, director John Wright invites the audience on an unpredictable journey which is packed with mischievous surprises.

It starts the minute you step into the theatre with slapstick riot police escorting people to their seats and barking "less smiling please".

The plot revolves around the tragic, hilarious and often shocking story of a rifle-toting plantation owner who kills a penniless street beggar who has fallen in love with his balloon-breasted and bucktoothed daughter.

The set is wonderfully cartoonesque, with the orchestra sitting in a sunken roundabout around which a road swirls, houses tower and wonky telegraph poles sway.

Along the winding road comes everything from giant coffins and dancing skeletons to parping elephants and birds with rainbow-coloured gloves instead of feathers.

In an attempt to capture the ramshackle spirit of carnival, the core cast of six are joined by up to 40 young performers from the local community.

The mixed ability does mean the show is a little rough round the edges but that's also its spirited charm.