THERE is no image of the English countryside more enduring than that of the lordly house or stately mansion.

Dotted across the various shires, these monuments to past men and their wealth have inspired artists and authors for generations. Evelyn Waugh was no exception, and his self-described magnum opus Brideshead Revisited is archetypal of the genre.

This latest adaption of his work at the Theatre Royal Bath takes a different tack however. Gone are the gothic cornices, lintels, archetraves and butresses one might expect, they are replaced with - nothing.

The staging is completely bare. Save for the odd chair or bed to set the scene, the actors are left to furnish the imagination instead, aided by an unusual backdrop. Constantly taking different shapes and hues, mobile black panels constantly change, becoming a church, ship or more as the plot demands.

What results is something very modern, which is - unfortunately - strongly at odds with the source material, which goes to great lengths to evoke a certain time and place. This is Brideshead by Warhol, an odd mish-mash to say the least.

Regardless of the situation in which they find themselves, the cast are game enough, doing their best to flourish. Charles (Brian Ferguson), our protagonist and recipient of the most audience time, is by far the most engaging character. His journey through the decades at Brideshead holds together the delicate sensibilities of the Marchmain family as both faith and foibles strive to pull them apart. He creates a fully fleshed character who is quite endearing.

As for the others, we learn little of the deep emotions and motivations that guide them to their decisions. By trying to fit too many details and events into the short running time the production as a whole suffers.

Some scenes, such as an inventive conversation which takes place during a rolling storm, are hugely inventive but ultimately hamstrung both by the odd staging and the stilted structure, over-promising and under-delivering.

Brideshead Revisited is on at the Theatre Royal Bath until May 8.