It’s Shakespeare meets Hannibal in a clinical hospital setting: a plethora of chainsaws and blood and guts amongst plastic sheeting and white surgical masks.

Memorable moments include a blood-drinking ceremony, the bodies of the young princes pickled in a jar, and a murder scene in which the Duke of Buckingham’s heart is ripped from his body. Ouch.

However, the audience were in stitches as we were hit with more violent scenarios than The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and it made me realise that Hall has tapped into one of the most taboo of all human responses; that, sometimes, when confronted with something shocking, the only thing to do is laugh.

However, the over-exaggerated theatrical elements - such as a Greek-style chorus and continuous bouts of uplifting singing, coupled with the fantastic comic timing from the actors - prevented the gruesomeness from becoming too ‘real’, as I’m sure Hall intended.

 A special mention must go to the exceptional Richard Clothier in the title role. Richard III is portrayed as wickedly charming as well as, of course, an evil murderer, meaning Clothier has reinvented him as one of the sexiest Shakespearean villains around.  

This is surely no mean feat, just as a funny interpretation of this play seems impossible. Nevertheless, Hall has managed to make it happen, and it is utterly brilliant.

Alice Stride