It's hard to upstage the grounds of Oxford Castle even when your subject matter is Romeo and Juliet, but the actors of the irrepressible Tomahawk had a fair whack at it.

Directed by Alex Nicholls, this production flew the flag for the exuberance of youth. Negotiating a bare stage of moveable white blocks, a wide-eyed Remi King and Jennifer Robinson played the eponymous doomed lovers caught up in the escalating conflict of the Montague and Capulet families. If there were ever a prize for the greatest amount of puppy love packed into one performance, Mr King deserves an honourable mention.

From his first appearance struggling under the weight of an enormous portrait of his first love, Rosaline, this fresh, artless incarnation was instantly likeable. At the Capulet family ball, after being showered in beer by a hapless Romeo, Juliet’s squeal of “You kiss by the book!” drew giggles of delight. Out went the star-crossed lovers waxing lyrical, and in came the honest spectacle of two teenagers at a party. That said, this youthful take had its limitations.

An unusually gauche Benvolio and Mercutio threatened to overwhelm the first half and Adam Potterton’s Mercutio appeared little more than a tribute to laddishness.

After that, there is little that brandishing a pair of women’s frillies like a white flag will absolve. Older cast members, in particular Joseph Adams as Lord Capulet and Chris Walters as Lord Montague, brought an appropriate sense of foreboding and, combined with Jennifer Robinson’s arresting portrayal of an anguished Juliet, made for a triumphant second half. The self-confidence of this production was evident in the lack of frills.

Overall, Tomahawk’s latest is Shakespeare at its boldest and barest, but at times got a little carried away. Then again, so did Romeo and Juliet.

Hannah Somerville