Troilus and Cressida

OK, so let's get a few things out of the way to begin with. Yes, the three and a half hours running time is a little bit daunting. And yes, if your knowledge of Greek mythology is a little rusty you might find some of it a little bit bewildering.

But now that we've acknowledged those misgivings, onto Peter Stein's epic Edinburgh International Festival production, produced in association with the Royal Shakespeare Company.

It is small consolation to the poor souls who only got the first half on opening night (problems with the set led to the performance being abandoned at the interval), but this is an utterly gorgeous production.

From the huge metal wall that dominates the stage, to gorgeous Grecian dresses and the high-sheen bronzed skin of the actors, designers Ferdinand Wogerbauer (set) and Anna Maria Heinreich (costume) have clearly spared no expense. Gasps of delight greet the arrival of a giant scarlet bed suspended above the stage, around which warrior Paris and his trophy Helen tenderly romp.

Stein has said that he wanted to focus on the love stories, rather than the politics of the battle between Greece and Troy. Certainly it is the stunningly beautiful love scenes of this production that linger in the mind, although the battles are also ingeniously staged and seductively lit (Richard Clothier's six-pack should have its own programme credit).

It's easy to get confused with such a bewildering number of characters, but Stein's casting appears to have borne this in mind. Particularly impressive are Vincent Regan as Achilles and Annabel Scholey as the sweet but strong Cressida. She's not quite matched by Henry Pettigrew as Troilus, but perhaps mainly because he appears so much younger than his lover.

Their story might take longer to tell than that of Romeo and Juliet, but Troilus and Cressida deserve the spotlight once in a while. Even if you nod off during the tough-going parts there's still plenty here to thrill and delight. That would, of course, be akin to eating three desserts without any main courses' but when they taste this good, it's worth it.