Much Ado About Nothing, St Nicholas Rest Garden, Brighton, May 22

But the fun in The Globe On Tour’s brilliant Much Ado About Nothing was never doused. Its players know the Bard’s plays inside out and they rolled this comedy’s intricate plot into a tightly-spun yarn even the youngest viewers could understand.

Beatrice and Benedick, the lovers who shall never twine, often steal the limelight from the literal protagonists, Hero and Claudio. In the hands of the unstoppable Emma Pallant and Simon Bubb, all knockabout nods and knowhow, that was the case.

Pallant sparkled and whirled around the stage every bit the girl who would, as Benedick quipped, have waked herself laughing if she ever dreamed of unhappiness. Bubb as Benedick, a lovable louche lord and impermeable bachelor, had something of Jack Whitehall in Fresh Meat.

Scenes were split by music, with brass and guitar and drums and even accordion, thanks to multi-talented Gemma Lawrence who doubled Hero with Conrade.

The character sharing was impeccable, too, as Joy Richardson switched effortlessly between moody Margaret and double-crossing drunkard Borachio and Robert Pickvance’s turned from regal Leonato to bearded old maid Ursula.