Tom Stoppard's first play with words, Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead, was written more than 40 years ago for the National Theatre.

Two minor characters from Hamlet take centre stage with a dazzling display of verbal pyrotechnics but no modern mastery can save them from Shakespeare: neither switching roles, gambling with chance or tossing coins can dodge their ultimate fate.

The Wick Theatre Company, based at the Barn Theatre, Southwick, have tackled Stoppard before with award-winning Arcadia in 1999.

This lively, enterprising and well-supported troupe stage drama, farce, comedy and musical theatre with four or five productions annually. Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead is their 2011 entry for the Brighton and Hove Arts Council Drama Awards.

It’s difficult to believe they could have any serious competition.

Principals Tom Harris and Guy Steddon as the interchangeable Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are an astonishing tour de force. Onstage for the entire, long drama, and frequently on their own, their range of vocal variety and their ratatat delivery of complex and confusing philosophy played as fast tennis had the audience on Wednesday shellshocked.

Director Natalie Notley was obliged to wear two hats and take the role of The Player at short notice: her travelling troupe of actors swashed and buckled in barrels and boats to hilarious effect in a play within a play about a play.

Andy Etter’s lanky Hamlet makes comic a role not normally regarded as such, leaving David Creedon with sufficient contrasting gravitas as Claudius.

Clever lighting and ingenious sound effects make props irrelevant – the minimal set serves to highlight the wondrous acting on show. A little dated, very brave, breathtakingly well done.