SHAKESPEARE'S plays have produced some truly titanic performances over the years. Laurence Olivier's Othello and Sir John Gielgud's Hamlet spring to mind, while Robert Stephens's masterful King Lear remains the greatest stage performance I've ever seen.

There have also been some fine film versions, none more so than Roman Polanski's Macbeth and more recently Baz Luhrmann's quixotic reimagining of Romeo + Juliet.

But when it comes to capturing the originality of Shakespeare's plays, few can perhaps match The Lord Chamberlain's Men – a modern incarnation of the Bard's original open air theatre company of the same name – which follows the Elizabethan tradition of an all-male ensemble (it was illegal at that time for women to act on stage).

Mark Puddle, the company's founder and creative director, says it's about taking the plays to the people. "We felt that outside London, Shakespeare wasn't getting much of a look in, so we decided to do something ourselves."

They originally wanted to be called The King's Men and wrote to Buckingham Palace asking for permission to use the name. "They replied saying, quite rightly, that historically we couldn't be called The King's Men as a king wasn't on the throne, but they suggested the Lord Chamberlain's Men instead which was the original name of the company," explains Mark.

Since setting up shop four years ago, the company has staged three Shakespeare plays – Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night's Dream. Their latest production is the comedy Much Ado About Nothing, which rolls into Harewood House next month.

The touring actors are nearly halfway into their 16-week tour which takes in 80 outdoor venues all over the country. "Last summer, we had to endure torrential rain which is why we chose a comedy this time, something to raise our spirits a bit. But even when the weather's bad, there's something of that British mentality that brings everyone together and sometimes adversity can produce the best performances," he says.

"I think open-air theatre makes the plays more accessible and it introduces Shakespeare to a new audience. People who perhaps don't feel comfortable sitting in a theatre can come along and enjoy a picnic and a glass of wine, as well as watch a play."

Mark claims that rather than putting audiences off, having an all-male cast has the opposite effect. "We get a lot of people coming up to us and saying it makes the story clearer, because originally the play was written for men to perform, and all the nuances and in-jokes make more sense when you have a man in a frock, particularly in the comedies," he says.

"There's great variety in the female roles, you have darker characters like Lady Macbeth, you have young lovers and warring lovers like Beatrice and Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing, and they were all played by men originally.

"What we're doing is trying to recreate that. We're not doing it for the sake of it and it's not a pantomime, it's about attempting to get to the truth of the plays, and hopefully having some fun along the way."

He believes, too, that Shakespeare's work still resonates with audiences. "Apart from the fact that the plays are brilliantly written, all the stories are either relevant for today, or they have characters we can relate to and stories that excite us.

"Much Ado About Nothing has these two lovers who are obviously attracted to each other, but don't do anything about it – which is something we've all come across.

"Shakespeare has everything – murder and intrigue, dramatic swordfights, but he also created brilliant comedy and great characters."

And Mark reckons the great people's playwright would approve of what they're doing. "I think he'd be pleased because we're not using gimmicks but taking these great plays and entertaining people."

Much Ado About Nothing is at Harewood House on Thursday, August 7. Tickets are £12 for an adult, £10 for seniors, and £7.50 for children. Box office: 0113 218 1000, or www.harewood.org