THEATRE Royal Winchester mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death with a double bill of Hamlet and All’s Well That Ends Well between 3 and 7 May. For those that fancy a ‘Bard Binge’, both plays can be seen in one day on Thursday and Saturday.

Shakespeare At The Tobacco Factory, which was formed in 2000 and is now one of Britain’s most renowned theatre companies, appeared last year at Theatre Royal in Romeo And Juliet. They have chosen two contrasting plays for this year’s visit- his most well known tragedy Hamlet and one of his most ambiguous and female led comedies All’s Well That Ends Well. Both are directed by Andrew Hilton.

Many elements- realpolitik, madness, sex and murder- are brought together in Hamlet, a drama that is both a thriller and the profoundest meditation on our human condition. This production, performed in Elizabethan costumes, lets nothing distract from Shakespeare’s magnificent language.

In All’s Well That Ends Well, a young woman saves the French King. Her reward is the right to choose her own husband. Unfortunately the chosen one won’t play the game. Instead he goes off to war and seduces other women. How can she win him? How can she get him into bed?

Shakespeare At The Tobacco Factory can be seen at Theatre Royal Winchester from Tuesday 3 to Saturday 7 May. Hamlet will be performed every evening except Thursday when there is a matinee. All’s Well That Ends Well performs on Thursday evening and Saturday matinee. Tickets are £23.00 available from theatreroyalwinchester.co.uk or on 01962 840 440.