Secondary school children should see this King Lear to hear what makes the English language great.

There is a lesson for parents here too: Muck around with inheritance and divide your kingdom up too soon and that is a certain path to madness - also watch out for ungrateful children.

King Lear is culpable in his own downfall. He is lazy, doesn't want to rule anymore and wants a life of ease.

So he divides his kingdom between his three daughters only to find one, his beloved Cordelia, doesn't tell him she loves him as he wants.

She is disinherited and the other two squabble and fight and reluctantly share him and his entourage between them.

To me, Shakespeare's lesson is to spend all your money and leave the kids nothing.

This English Touring Theatre company production is mesmerising. It is ensemble acting almost to perfection. Minimal sets and lightning make sure the words and the emotions speak for themselves and powerful stuff it is.

Timothy West plays the title role. At close on 70, there must be easier ways of making a living than playing Lear.

West plays his Lear like a man suffering from clinical depression. It is a little restrained although he can rant and rail along with the best.

His Churchillian face is powerful in its quiet moments as well as in his temper and the scene where he finally realises he brought his troubles on himself is astonishing.

His whole body follows suit when he carries the dead body of his true daughter Cordelia on to the stage at the end.

This is West doing what he has done all his acting life, playing a solid character and bringing it alive. I would think Shakespeare has given him a good living and in this role he earns every single penny.

West is surrounded by other strong players.

Jessica Turner's Goneril and Catherine Kanter's Regan are studies in bitter sisterly rivalry, while Rachel Pickup's Cordelia is a tough cookie too, albeit in a beautifully sweet way.

You will want to weep in places, notably when Lear's madness eases as he recognises the plight of the blinded Gloucester. Amid all the inhumanity of this play, this is a truly human moment.

Director Stephen Unwin gives us a simple raised platform on which this tale takes place. Whether it be in a palace, on a cliff edge, a hovel or the blasted, storm-hit heath.

His direction is deft and sure-footed and never gets in the way of the language or the performances. This is a triumphant production that never seems as long as it is.

To judge by the packed house, Shakespeare is still immensely relevant, no matter how some modern educators may decry it.

This production shows just how relevant the author is to today's audiences and just how universal the truths he revealed to us 400 years ago are.

For tickets, call: 01273 328488.