This is an extraordinarily timely revival of Shaw’s political comedy on a government in crisis.

Shaw’s left wing cabinet is set to stop King Magnus offering an independent opinion to his subjects, particularly one which might open their eyes to what the government is up to.

Even more deliciously, Proteus, the Prime Minister is a Scot, who’s indecisive, easily flattered and just as easily rattled into a tantrum. And the script hasn’t been tinkered with to tune it to today’s political scene. It is presented just as Shaw wrote it in 1928.

Shaw’s plays tend to be verbose and this is no exception, but some vigorous performances from Barry Stanton as republican Boanerges – who is actually more royalist than he recognises – James Laurenson as the dithering PM, Peter Gordon as Balbus the Home Secretary, Richard Dixon as Nicobar the Foreign Secretary and Penny Bunton as Lysistrata, Powermistress General, grasp your attention and for most of the time hold it.

Best of all is Charles Edwards as King Magnus, charismatic, charming, clever, and more than a match in deviousness for his whole cabinet.

Janie Dee is very sexy as Orinthia, the King’s mistress, but he’s not overawed by her either.

Richard Clifford and Peter Sandys-Clarke are the King’s two urbane and highly efficient secretaries.

Shaw set his play ‘in the future’. But perhaps that is part of the irony. Shaw knew the political animal doesn’t change and there will always be a crisis, manipulated by the media or simply reported by them.

The play is not one of his most frequently performed and that is possibly because it is quite hard work for both actors and audience.

But directed by Peter Hall it has a directness and a lightness of touch which makes it worth the effort.

It runs in repertory with Terence Rattigan’s The Browning Version in a double bill with Chekhov’s Swansong, and David Storey’s Home until August 1.