REVIEW: Love for Love – at the Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, until January 22, 2016.

TOTALLY glorious with the ham-it-upometer at full steam and close to going off the register!

Love For Love was clearly loved and lapped-up with good reason by a truly appreciative audience housing one of the largest gathering of luvvies seen at either the Swan or the Royal Shakespeare Theatre for some time.

Whichever direction you looked there was a familiar face from the stage, television and films which obviously gave an extra edge to the performance with every one of the cast determined to make it a night to remember in front of their peers.

Under the talented Selina Cadell’s skilful direction - who would have thought Doc Martin’s bumbling Mrs Tishell could be so clever, the production runs along briskly and as brightly as a freshly minted 17th century shilling.

William Congreve’s comedy was first performed in 1695 for the benefit of Queen Anne of England on the occasion of her 32nd birthday and incredibly it has worn so well over the intervening centuries. Yet all it is is a simple tale of love, with a little mystery and intrigue, perfectly woven together to provide first rate fare that would bring a smile on the darkest of days.

It really has stood the test of time and when such a hugely talented cast is bang on the button it provides a hugely uplifting, enthralling and entertaining theatrical experience.

It has many colourful characters and was played in a way which provided a strong hint of Blackadder, Rowan Atkinson’s brilliant creation, who schemed his crafty way through the centuries.

Nicholas Le Prevost is outstanding as Sir Sampson Legend, initially a fine upstanding gent who is gradually tempted into fornication and lechery by the woman who really wishes to marry his son Valentine, who in turn is played with such irrepressible style and ease by Tom Turner.

The play is full of wonderful off-the-wall characters who catch the eye such as Daniel Easton’s ‘West Country’ seafaring Ben Legend - Valentine’s rougher brother, Jenny Rainsford’s Miss Prue - a real country girl, and in particular Jonathan Broadbent’s splendid half-witted and fabulously foppish beau, Tattle.

All around the entire cast were on top form such as Carl Prekopp’s Jeremy, who although a servant to Valentine was more than his match, along with Zoe Waites who played Mrs Frail, a woman of the town who was far from frail, and a great little cameo from Ragevan Vasan, whose beaming smile and fleetness of foot before his dance solo was interrupted was warmly received.

You even get ten minutes extra to the running time of 2hrs 45mins providing you are in your seats early with the cast on stage preparing the props and mingling with the audience. Great fun and it was all neatly topped off by Rosalind Ebbutt’s quality costumes of the day and the music which is performed live.

But it’s the action on stage that is best. Bonkers in many ways, but breathtakingly brilliant.