SHAKESPEARE'S classic "tale of woe" was performed to an enthusiastic crowd of hundreds at Keighley's East Riddlesden Hall last night.

Once again The Lord Chamberlain's Men, a group that perform's the bard's plays as they would have been performed in his day, came to the National Trust property, this time to perform Romeo and Juliette.

One of the most noticeable things about the troupe are that they are all male, and true to the original performances the female roles are performed by men. While this could be too distracting for some, especially in a play with as much romance as this one, the seasoned performers soon make you forget this, and their skill moves this beyond a quirky gimmick.

The Lord Chamberlains Men were Shakespeare's original group of performers, so swing them perform one of his plays is as close you can get to seeing an authentic performance outside The Globe in London.

There was minimal scenery, no microphones and a cast that had to juggle multiple roles, but the crowd were enthralled by the performance, and the managed to create a memorable version of a story everyone has probably heard many times before.