This is the Bard like you haven’t seen him before – a genre-smashing, fourth wall-bashing mashup of styles and contemporary pop references set to a pretty hip soundtrack.

There’s enough serious soliloquy-ing going on to satisfy the most devout Shakespeare tragic, but in between the earnest doth-ing and thou-ing – which is rendered very competently – there’s so much more.

The script, from the sharpened pen of rising local theatre powerhouse Pip Smith, is loosely based on the question: what if Much Ado About Nothing met Romeo and Juliet met Hamlet?

None of the comedic mayhem that ensues is delivered as straight as she was wrote. In this fast-paced 75-minute performance you can’t afford to blink or you might have to play catchup. There are pop cultural references, local name drops and snippets of Kiwi songs in the setlist.

Thus we get to witness snippets of Romeo and Juliet played like a Sergio Leone spaghetti western, with a Capulet v Montague rugby clash. There’s also a scene where the cast step up individually for a Will Shakespeare-style riff-off. And it’s a semi-musical as well. The songs are well chosen, from Chris Knox to Shania Twain.

The sparse cast of players click tremendously well, and by crikey they have to. On the small stage, near the rotunda in the city’s stately Queens Park, there is nowhere to hide. Eight of the nine actors play multiple roles – sometimes three in a scene – while the ninth, puppeteer Charmin Dahl, wrangles a quite realistic papier maché dog.

It’s frenetic and funny, and there are numerous instances of the players knocking down the fourth wall to make sure the audience is still with them.

“We aim to make Shakespeare fun and exciting – by dumbing it down,” declares Gregoria, played by the sincerely impressive Julie Manson. The irony is that despite playing for contemporary gags, the show is not dumb at all – it’s imaginative, entertaining, fresh and very clever.

A stalwart of the Bluff drama scene, Manson is a powerhouse in her first leading role in a Shakespeare production. She’s got a great singing voice. She should definitely get out more.

Manson is matched by major players Sarah McCarthy, who is the undisputed master of the comic knowing aside, and Hannah Kennedy, one of the stars of southern theatre. Ricky Andrews also revels in his busy shift, proving again how he capable he is.

Bella Cathcart, Draven Booth, Charlie Bellett and Amy Brand are all well cast, bringing personality and exuberance to the table. Bellett’s energetic posturing is a nice touch.

Side stage, musicians Renee McGinnis and Belinda Anderson provide live backing that sits nicely in the playlist.

This being set in an open-air public space, there is additional unscripted noise and activity that has to be factored into the experience, whether it be unleashed dogs causing a stir, random onlookers who are having a bad day or even Geoff Thomson’s private jet flying low on its approach to Invercargill Airport.

The show doth go on, my liege.

Bring a blanket, and/or a chair, and make a picnic of it. It's really good fun.

Shakespeare In The Park/Majestic Frog Collective

• Sweet Swan of Southland
• Director: Angela Newell
• Queen Park, Invercargill
• 27/28 February, 1 March
• CLICK HERE for tickets