A show in Poole’s Cavern has become an almost obligatory part of the Buxton Fringe experience. It’s a safe bet, after all: a play, usually Shakespeare, in the magical surroundings of a cavern full of stalactites and stalagmites. Yet the show still has to be worthwhile, and in returning to tragedy, theatre company Butterfly have brought their strongest contribution of recent years.

The performance opens in the visitor centre café, where Ed Hartland – our guide for a tour of the Veronese catacombs – warns us all that the spirits may be roused when he tells us the tragic story of the lovers Romeo and Juliet. Leading us into the cavern he sets the scene, while performing the roles of the chorus and the prince. He’s also great at shepherding us around this promenade performance; later, when he’s not as involved with this aspect, it’s noticeably less efficient.

There’s a nice steal from A Winter’s Tale as our ghost story begins, with a statue of Juliet coming to life; she and other female cast members begin to sing, before the men from the two families confront each other with macho posturing. It’s a smart way of introducing the twin themes of love and violence that run throughout the play. The build-up to the wedding, with its courtship and ribaldry, gives full rein to the humour and bawdiness of the dialogue. The physicality of the acting is a Butterfly trademark, and the fearlessness of the actors leaping around the slippery rocks lends an energy to the performance that infects an audience enjoying the party.

The crash from the wedding ceremony into violence and murder is sudden and effective. Fight director Hartland deserves credit here, and Joe Johnsey impresses as a Romeo who isn’t wet – the jack-the-lad of the early scenes maturing into a more responsible character who’s still desperately in love, but now despairing at what he’s done. His swagger is complemented by Octavia Gilmore as a strong Juliet, innocently girlish yet determined, a hint of class difference heightening the inter-family rivalry.

The cast are at ease with the verse, but at times it becomes a little shouty – particularly in areas where the acoustics aren’t so good and the actors have to compete with the noise of the water rushing through the caves.  To be fair, there is much more water flowing than is usual, but not much can be done about that!

There are some problems with pacing that will no doubt improve as the run develops. The show I saw overran by twenty minutes, and at times it felt like we were being hurried around. In some ways this contributes to the urgency of the scenes where Romeo is on the run, but it is wet and slippery in the cavern and there is a degree of discomfort in being rushed, especially for those less mobile.

However, director Hayley Cusick has the design elements just right.  In the dim light of the caves, simple costume choices make identification easier: hints of red for the Capulets, mainly blues for the Montagues, and Juliet entirely in white, ethereal and above the sectarian conflict. The singing, often led by Musical Director Alice Rose Parr as Sister Lawrence, is beautiful too, never more movingly so than after Juliet’s apparent death.

So as it turns out, opting to see Romeo and Juliet Underground is indeed a no-brainer: a classic Shakespeare tragedy performed with verve in a fantastic location. You won’t regret it.