This isn’t Shakespeare as they would do down the M40 at Stratford-Upon-Avon. Freewheeling comedy and music guide us through this tale of mistaken identity, cutting down on the running time but stacking up the laughs in this most accessible of Bard productions. Directed by the Lyric Hammersmith’s Sean Holmes whose recent ‘Bugsy Malone’ showed an eye for reinventing a (more modern) classic, expect minimal costume but maximum energy, with no “serious actor” grandstanding but tons of microphone based antics. The noise of a gig, the feel of a party, the food and drink of a night out (indeed if you sit in the right places both beverages and snacks will be on offer) – this production finds all the fun of Bill’s comedies and reimagines for a modern audience the exuberance and community experienced by his original audiences over 400 years ago. A perfect way to see in his birthday week.

See: www.birmingham-rep.co.uk