Cast in order of appearance

Artistic director Matthew Francis' impassioned and full-blooded stage adaptation wisely shows respect for Anthony Hope's compelling adventure story. And yet his astringent approach blows away all cobwebs from the melodramatic aspects of this famous yarn, adding some much-needed humour at finely-judged moments to keep pomposity at bay. Nicholas Gecks' Black Michael is presented as a neurotic jackbooted Fascist seeking to stop the Balkanisation of disunited Ruritania with "order through strength" and reluctantly in thrall to his glamorously amoral henchman Rupert of Hentzau, who behaves like a languidly dissolute rock star in Mark Lockyer's scene-stealing performance.

The result is a magnificent, many-layered piece of escapism. David Haig has just the right quality of fervent sincerity as the gallant dilettante Rudolph Rassendyll who impersonates the kidnapped king to save the country from a take-over bid and makes us see double on stage, thanks to splendid doppelganger work and a versatile moustache. Leonie Mellinger displays her usual perceptive charm as a meddlesome Princess Flavia, while Melanie Jessop is truly a tragic queen as the opium-addicted Antoinette de Mauban. There is strong support from Michael Cronin and Tom Bowles as the loyal Sapt and Fritz, while Malcolm Ranson's inventive fight-work exploits every nook and cranny of Lez Brotherston's ingenious set with its vast stone stairway. The intoxicating romanticism of a gypsy violin adds to the excitement of Mark Henderson's epic sound design.