Shall I compare thee to the film of thy basis, thou art more lovely and more intriguing.

The performance reviewed below was a Preview, taking place on Friday July 11th 2014 at the Noel Coward Theatre. Shakespeare in Love officially opens on July 23rd

The enduring appeal of Shakespeare's work is obvious; responsible for inspiring centuries of literature, theatre etc. etc. Instantly recognisable, The Bard of Avon actually ran out of words to express himself, he made up some more, and we still use them, (just like you're using your eyeballs to read this.)

But save a heavily reproduced picture of a moon-faced bloke in a ruff, we've no idea who he/she was, and theories emerge every year that paint him in any numbers of positions; an adventurer, an earl, a non-existent front, his complete descent into anonymity should be a lesson to the internet savvy. With no scrap of the man himself remaining; his story is completely up for grabs.

In this outing, from the screenplay by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard and directed by Declan Donnellan, Shakespeare (Will) is a penniless playwright with writers block. Whilst all of London waits on his next play, he meets the Lady Viola, a member of court who loves theatre, and immediately falls in love at first sight. Buoyed by his good luck, he begins to write his play, much to the delight of his indebted patron Mr Hemslow. When auditions are announced everything seems lost, not one participant can act, except one, the beguiling 'Thomas Kent?' who may just be Viola in a wig, desperate to 'become a player' before being married off to the wicked Wessex and breaking Will's heart forever

Tom Bateman brings a notable swagger to the lovelorn bard, his performance is boisterous and endearing as he struggles for words or bounces around the immensely climbable set. He is funny when needed and displays affection for Viola naturally. In fact, the chemistry between the actors was wonderful to watch, it looked like they were having a ball. Viola, played by Lucy Briggs Owens was a shining example of doing it right. With a natural comic grace she leant over balconies, opined and danced exquisitely, playing the chippy Thomas Kent with a nice honesty. I also wanted to steal her gowns! Everything in this production is just so, the design is simple but elegant. Scene transitions were a little wobbly, but ultimately the almost ever present entire ensemble on stage is effective (the entire cast are brilliant), especially when the musicians kick in with their plainsong inspired pieces.

There is undying romance, but it is perfectly balanced with comedy. I expected some of the more quotable lines from the film to seem hackneyed, but even the bit with the dog was hilariously subtle and completely right. I think that ultimately, whilst many people will be drawn to the bodice-ripping aspect of a man in a Mr Darcy shirt and a four poster bed, there is far more to the play than whether or not they get it on. Call-backs to the Shakespeare we know and love are well used, there are sterling turns from one or two more bombastic auditionees and favour was won on Friday night with an offhand reference to a 'snarl up on Putney bridge'.

And then there is the tragedy. Shakespeare didn't get where he was today without writing some tearjerkers and as a sort of meta-biography (term very loosely used for the purists), the play takes it on, not just with the parting of Will and Viola, but with Kit Marlowe. Now, Kit bears a special mention, because I love what they've done with him, ramping up the relationship between the rivals, having the droll Kit act as a sort of eye rolling shepherd of the errant Will, and played divinely by David Oakes, who totally stole the show for me. So it's even worse when the inevitable happens and he's knocked off in a Deptford pub. There was genuine gravity in the scene when Will finds out and seeks out Viola. I was expecting it, but I think the performance makes it sting just that little bit more.

All in all, I enjoyed this immensely, despite being previously put off by the Disney aspect of it all, and the wet blanket leads in the film. They have let the thing mature, kept the zany aspect of British humour that embodied the original, even the toothless prostitutes and I am thankful for this. I hope ( and suspect) it will run for a long time to come and wish them all the luck, after all there is nothing more entertaining than the path of true love being intercepted by a very clever dog.

Great night out for?A date for sure. I took the Boyfriend and he was pleasantly surprised.

Recommend to friends? For sure. And my mother.

Best bit? Lucy Briggs Owens as Viola.

Morning after effect? Still can't get Kit Marlowe's pre-interval eyebrow raise out of my head. Very funny.

Kitty McCarron

View our show pages for more information about Shakespeare In Love, Noel Coward Theatre.