There is something wonderful, yet disconcerting, about seeing a Shakespeare play being performed in the manner and with the vigorous pomposity it was intended.

We have all seen modern adaptations of the great bard’s work but the Globe Theatre’s production of Romeo and Juliet ticked all the boxes, even to an uneducated fool like me.

Of course I studied this play at school, along with several other of his works, but I cannot say that I ever truly ‘got it’ – blasphemous to some, I know.

But I found this performance at Richmond Theatre to be excellent – OK, it required more brain power than I normally use at the theatre but so be it.

The fine troupe of actors mingling and chatting with the audience set the tone before they burst into vociferous song and wild dance to signal the beginning of the evening.

We all know the plot, of course we do, so no surprises there but if you were a GCSE student seeing this for the first time, it would have brought it alive, a lot more than my English teacher ever did anyway.

Performed by a company of just eight actors, I was completely captivated for the full two hours and twenty minutes of Elizabethan ecstasy.

The actors performed with meaning, sincerity but also humour which, even today, translated perfectly.

Even down to the detail in the programme, it was an all-round fantastic evening – and if I am honest, a lot better than I thought it might have been.

The Globe Theatre will be welcome back in Richmond any time, in my eyes.

For the latest listings at Richmond Theatre, visit atgtickets.com/richmond.