Thank goodness for Shakespeare's dramatic craft because at Chichester his Romeo And Juliet has to battle a severe outbreak of produceritis.

Indhu Rubasingham has decided to transfer the action from Verona in Italy to the capital of the Ottoman Empire, Constantinople, a geographical shift that even a swift examination of the text does not support.

And, if it is his intention to give a sharply racist view of Shakespeare's tragedy, he then chickens out and doesn't go the whole way with it.

Here, the Montagues appear as the Muslim element and the Capulets as the Christians.

In the programme notes, it claims the Ottoman Empire of the time was truly tolerant of all religions.

That is true but not as tolerant as the eventual reconciliation of the two families shows.

But if he was trying to really show the difference, why not cast the Montagues with Asian actors instead of giving us a very English Romeo in the form of Lex Shrapnel?

Thankfully, The Bard survives all this nonsense and we are given a rousing performance full of great sword fights and some really poignant moments - not least the scenes in the tomb.

It is prettily dressed, the Montagues in baggy pants and turbans and the Capulets in flowing robes.

The set looks like the Alahambra in Granada and the lighting is fine.

Emily Blunt is a feisty Juliet, perhaps lacking in the adolescent gentility expected of her sex in such times but she certainly knows more of life than Lex Shrapnel's somewhat wimpish Romeo.

But Una Stubbs is totally miscast as the Nurse. The text makes clear the nurse is elderly but Ms Stubbs leaps and whirls about the stage looking and acting even younger than her mistress's 14 years.

Ms Stubbs really does play this for laughs and she gets them but I found her irritating in the extreme.

There is also a great deal of shouting. David Lumsden's Montague is a great shouter but Shakespeare needs far more than mere volume if it is to be delivered properly.

But there is much that is good. Jack Tarlton's Mercutio is splendid. He gives a rollicking performance as the gutsy lad struck down by Tybalt's sword.

Romeo And Juliet is at the Chichester Festival Theatre (alternating with Cabaret) until October 5. For tickets, call 01243 781312.