THE Royal Shakespeare Company and English Touring Theatre’s production of A Mad World My Masters tours to the Theatre Royal Bath from Tuesday 7 to Saturday 11 April, prior to a run at London’s Barbican.

Sean Foley – whose previous West End hits include The Play What I Wrote and The Ladykillers – turns his comedic brilliance to Thomas Middleton’s 1608 satirical romp, as he directs the twenty-four-strong company.

First seen in Stratford-Upon-Avon where it enjoyed critical acclaim in 2013, this riotous update of Middleton’s wickedly funny comedy features a live 1950s-style band and post-war setting whilst remaining true to the bawdy spirit of the Jacobean original.

The year is 1956. The war is over and the class system is breaking down. Jive and jazz fill the clubs of London's West End and none more so than Soho's infamous Flamingo Club. Amidst the grit, grime and glamour, charming, cash-strapped bachelor Richard Follywit is out for all he can steal. The target? His rich, disapproving uncle Sir Bounteous Peersucker.

Follywit and his friends, disguised as 'Lord Owemuch' and cohorts, set out on an extravagant plan to trick as much money out of his unwitting relative as possible. But Follywit's schemes and robberies don't always end as planned. With characters mingling to create a mad, filthy mix of cheats, drunk lords, tarts and down-and-outs, events come to a head at a party at Sir Bounteous's manor.

For tickets and more details visit www.theatreroyal.org.uk