IN this sodden summer, few events are more at the mercy of the weather than outdoor theatre.

But, mercifully, Oddsocks’ eagerly-awaited return to the Bishop of Hereford’s Bluecoat School with their unique take on Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar was played out on a cool but largely dry evening.

As regular visitors to the county, Oddsocks’ style is now well-known – faithful to the text but extracting every ounce of humour from even the most serious of the Bard’s plays.

The five-strong troupe, led by Oddsocks’ charismatic and talented founder Andy Barrow and augmented by a couple of more literally wooden performers, split all the roles between them as they tell the tale of the assassination of Caesar and its tragic aftermath.

Key aspects in the skill of their productions lie in their use of their remarkable stage ‘chariot’ and, mostly, in their supreme interaction with the audience.

Something over 100 brave souls braved a potentially wet evening to enjoy the performance and all appeared hugely glad that they did.

The cast draw everyone into their performance, especially a couple of guest participants from the audience, and take particular delight in the arrival and departures of any unfortunate who has to take a ‘comfort break’ mid-show.

And the younger members among those looking on, of whom there were many, saw Shakespeare in an entirely different light than if they had just seen his words on a page, revelling in the entertainment provided by these supreme interpreters of our greatest playwright.