"Hamlet" by William Shakespeare.

Royal Shakespeare Company.

Nottingham theatre Royal.

God, I love Shakespeare, especially when it's done as good as this production has been done.

Reading the play, or the book, doesn't always deliver the comedy element of "Hamlet", and with this play having so many dark moments in it, you need the occasional shot of comedy; and you certainly get the balance of comedy to darkness ratio in this latest production from the Royal Shakespeare Company.

This particular play has so many phrases that are used in everyday modern life that it almost doesn't seem as old - or should that be classic - as it actually is. Phrases like "to be or not to be", "neither a borrower nor a lender be", "method to the madness" and "the lady doth protest too much" are all from this play, and of course there's that "alas, poor Yorick" speech as well.

Most people will know the story, the play, the film of "Hamlet", but this is the first time that I have seen the full blown version of this play on stage; so what's it all about? Here's a very quick summary without any spoilers.....

The ghost of the King of Denmark tells his son Hamlet to avenge his murder by killing the new king, Hamlet's uncle. Hamlet feigns madness, contemplates life and death, and seeks revenge. His uncle, fearing for his life, also devises plots to kill Hamlet. The play ends with a duel. I don't think I've given too much away there, in the same way as if I am seeing a new piece of theatre, I don't like to know the ins and outs or how the story ends. Therefore, to thine own self, be true!

Hamlet is played by Ralph Davis. Roger has an incredible stage presence and has the ability to turn Hamlet from a grieving son to a comedic but crazy maniac, gurning and reverting back to an almost childlike son, creating so much of the comedy element in the play. When he is in grieving mode you can feel that he is in the depths of despair, and when he is feigning madness, you cannot help but smile at the silliness in his face and actions.

What you get from a Royal Shakespeare Company production is a cast who are at the top of their game. It's akin to seeing a Matthew Bourne choreographed ballet, or a Northern Opera show because you know that you're going to get the best of the best. They wouldn't be on the stage if they were less than the best, and you know that they are all experts in their field.

That said, here's the rest of the incredible cast....

Colin Ryan (Horatio - Hamlet's friend), Raymond Coulthard (Claudius - the new King of Denmark), Poppy Miller (Gertrude - Queen Of Denmark), Ian Hughes (The Ghost of The King/Player King), Richard Cant (Polonius - Chief Counsellor to the King), Benjamin Westerby (Laertes - Polonius's son), Georgia-May Myers (Ophelia - Polonius's daughter - who has a show stealing scene in the second act), Jamie Sayers (Rosencrantz - an old school friend of Hamlet's), Julia Kass (Guildenstern - another old school friend of Hamlet's), Maximus Evans (Marcellus - an officer), Dijibril Ramsey (Barnardo - a sailor), Leo Shak (Francisco - a sailor), CJ Johnson (Player Queen), Mark Oosterveen (The Priest), Rob Alexander-Evans (Captain), Maximus Evans (Orderly) and  the ensemble were Jonathan Savage and Kat Collings.

Directed by Rupert Goold, Sophie Drake being the Revival Director. The play has been set in 1912, the same year as the Titanic, and there were nods to that story with the music and choreography as well as the costumes, and of course, this version of the play has been set on a ship, making it easy to dispose of the bodies by dumping the dead over the side of the ship. The whole feel of the play is so different to how I had imagined it may be, from having read the play as well as the book version of "Hamlet".

Es Devlin's set design is brilliant moving from being on the deck of the ship to cabins, and when used with the video design, by Akhila Krishnan, made you feel as if you too were aboard some kind of ocean liner. The whole of the back of the stage was wall to wall, floor to ceiling video of a surging, inky black sea. By the second half of the play I found myself slightly swaying side to side with the rhythm of the waves. Good job I don't suffer from seasickness! The video design also takes you below deck showing the massive machinery that drives the ship on when Hamlet is chased into the bowels of the vessel. It's one of the most effective set/ video design for a Shakespearian play I have seen in the theatre. It certainly gives the "wow" factor.

Costume Designer is Evie Gurney and you can see the work that has gone into this area by taking a look at the photos attached.

Jack Knowles lighting design sets your mind visually alert with the murderous scenes swathed in deep red tones, using subtler tones as well as darker shades for various sections of the story.

Sound Designer and Composer is Adam Cork. There are a couple of choreographed sections to original music; even a section that could have been lifted out of the musical version of "Titanic" with singing as well as dancing. The music used is recorded but the quality of the music used made me think that maybe the musicians were somewhere backstage due to the clarity. The original music director is Lindsey Miller.

Music Director is Dan de Cruz.

Hannes Langolf is the Movement Director and there are echoes of Frantic Assembly in the movement elements of this show, at times giving the audience almost dreamlike scenes.

Kev McCurdy is the Fight Director. This also provides an exciting element with some energetic and vicious sword fencing choreography. These scenes certainly do not hold back with the actors involved certainly delivering a realistic set of fights.

Dramaturg is all thanks to Rebecca Latham.

Shakespeare is one of those writers who has managed to write stories that have transcended time, which is why so many people flock to watch his plays over and over again. Keeping plays that may be over 400 years old fresh is all down to the subject matter and the vision of top Directors. There's a certain element of topicality as well in this play with the theme of madness and power and keeping an eye on those who wield the power, which could not be more relevant today than with the war situation in the world. The theme of revenge affects everybody at some time in their lives, so we can all relate to the main storyline. Shakespeare wrote about normal people, created plays and presented those plays to the man in the street, so what was affecting people in his day, still affects people in 2026. He certainly is a man for all time, and will continue to be so.

I can see why this particular play is the most performed Shakespeare tragedy play, yes, even beating Macbeth into second place, and is often quoted as being his greatest work. It certainly has all the elements for an exciting evening in the theatre; especially when wrapped up as perfectly as this production has been.

If you still haven't been to the theatre to see a Shakespeare play because you may think you won't understand the way that he writes, or you think you won't "get it", then make this your first because the staging and presentation is absolutely stunning, incredible and non stop entertainment.

"Hamlet" is at the Nottingham Theatre Royal until Saturday 21 March.