The Legend of King Arthur at New Theatre Royal

But Oddsocks theatre company think they’ve come up with their own distinctive take on the Arthurian legend in a production which comes to the New Theatre Royal on Thursday.

According to co-founder of Oddsocks Elli Mackenzie, the company’s mantra is ‘never take yourself too seriously’ – and this is reflected in the show, which takes a comedic approach to the tale.

Elli says: ‘If you’re an expert in Arthurian legends you’ll enjoy this show as much as someone who’s never heard of Camelot or the Round Table, because we don’t take it too seriously,

‘We get the details right – we don’t transport Arthur to the 20th century or anything – but we have a lot of laughs with it.’

The Legend of King Arthur takes the audience from the birth of the future king to pulling the sword from the stone, the lady of the lake gifting Arthur with Excalibur, his formation of the Round Table and romance with Guinevere.

Oddsocks touches include the lady of the lake, which Elli says is a ‘glam rock moment to remember’ and the realisation of baby Arthur, which she says has got audiences talking.

‘We’ve got some baby puppets which are really funny.’

The story focuses on Arthur’s conflict with Morgan le Fay after Merlin orders the ‘untimely melting’ of the evil enchantress’s mother.

Elli, who plays Morgan, has had fun playing the evil role, and injecting some magic into the show.

‘Morgan le Fay appears in most Arthurian legends as a spirit, fairy or vengeful woman. There’s lots of magic and spells, with a nod to Harry Potter.’

Show starts at 7.30pm, tickets: £16, visit newtheatreroyal.com.