A Midsummer' Night's Dream by the Royal Shakespeare Company: The Grand, Blackpool

Shakespeare's beguiling play, subtitled here A Play for the Nation, is seeing 18 professional actors from the RSC working alongside amateur actors, who play the Rude Mechanicals and local schoolchildren, who play Titania's fairy train.

It is touring the 12 regions of the UK and opened last night at The Grand with actors from Poulton Drama playing the parts of Quince, Bottom and their friends, who stage a play to mark the wedding of Theseus, King of Athens, and Hippoltya, Queen of the Amazons.

When you watch the RSC you don't have to think about 'translating' Shakespeare's poetry - they make the words come alive so that you can follow the story with ease.

A Midsummer Night's Dream is a favourite of many though, as a story, it is fairly slight and, arguably, does not illuminate the human condition in such as way as some other 'heavier' plays.

Set in the Athenian court but mostly in a forest just outside the city, it's full of magic and enchantment, where mischievous sprites and fairies play tricks on a series of people, most of whom are in love with another character, although that love is not always reciprocated.

Shakespeare loved to make us think about appearance and reality and that theme is here in abundance. There is plenty of movement, action and comedy and the audience is swiftly transported into a world where nothing is quite what it seems.

The first half was fairly long and not a great deal of significance happens after the interval, which was largely given over to the Mechanicals' performance, which is full of farce and slapstick.

The stand out performance came from Lucy Ellinson as Oberon's devoted helper Puck, whose actions drive most of the what happens to the lovers. Laura Riseborough also brought much comedy to the role of Helena.

Blackpool performances continue up to and including Saturday.