Romantic difficulties: Love's Labour's Lost

The King of Navarre and his three dashing attendants - Dumaine, Longaville and Berowne - swear to abandon love for three years to leave more time for serious scholarship. Nicholas Bishop plays Longaville, Finbar Lynch is Berowne, Dan Fredenburgh is the king and Nick Barber is Dumaine in the Rose production Photograph: Tristram Kenton/Guardian

But the Princess of France and three beautiful ladies - Maria, Katharine and Rosaline - promptly arrive to make nonsense of their plans. Sally Scott is Katharine, Nelly Harker is Maria, Susie Trayling is Rosaline and Rachel Pickup is the princess at the Rose Photograph: Tristram Kenton/Guardian

In Rachel Kavanaugh's 2001 production at the Regent's Park Open Air theatre, Susannah Clapp observed that when the comic characters perform a play to entertain the noble lovers, you could 'watch the play within a play in a park within a park'. (Love's Labour's Lost is set in a park) Photograph: Tristram Kenton/Guardian

Confused? When the noblemen finally approach to declare their love, the princess tells her ladies to mask themselves and exchange identities to confuse their would-be suitors. Rebecca Johnson was a 'snapping and vivacious' Rosaline in the Regent's Park production Photograph: Tristram Kenton/Guardian

The opportunities for glamorous costumes are endless - in 2001, Alicia Silverstone played the princess in Kenneth Branagh's musical film version, which Philip French found 'utterly charming' but which had little commercial success Photograph: PR

Branagh himself played Berowne, the quickest-witted of the King's attendants, often described as a proto-Hamlet. It is Berowne who is most sceptical of his friends' unlikely vows, and who hides his love for Rosaline behind ironic quips Photograph: PR

Joseph Fiennes took on the same role in Trevor Nunn's 2003 production at the National Theatre, set in 1914 in an England on the brink of war - but his 'slouching' lord failed to impress the critics Photograph: Tristram Kenton/Guardian

In the same National production, Olivia Williams, as the Princess, struggled with 'one of Shakespeare's comedies that is hardly ever funny', thought Susannah Clapp. The princess orchestrates the disguise scene that leads each of the noblemen to pledge his love to the wrong lady Photograph: Tristram Kenton/Guardian

Most recently, at the RSC, David Tennant followed his successful Hamlet with a performance as Berowne Photograph: Tristram Kenton/Guardian

'You could hear a pin drop during Berowne's great paean to passion and the power of love over academic study,' thought Michael Billington. 'He constantly reminds us of the affinities between Hamlet and the King of Navarre's resident critic' Photograph: Tristram Kenton/Guardian

The Rose Kingston production runs until November 15 2008. But beware - there is no traditional happy ending in this surprising comedy Photograph: Tristram Kenton/Guardian