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Everyone knows the story of Romeo and Juliet don't they? But what if it wasn't quite what you think? What if Verona was not an Italian city but a care home for elderly people, and the Montagues and Capulets were not warring families but warring members of two different wards, one of which houses the richer private patients? It was with this idea from Sean O'Connor that he and director Tom Morris went about skilfully adapting Shakespeare's most famous romantic tragedy into 'Juliet and Her Romeo', which is currently making its début at the Bristol Old Vic.

Perhaps the most skilful part of the adaptation is the fact that it is barely adapted at all. Apart from a brief speech at the start and some very minor script editing, the Bard's words are left to speak for themselves and it is surprising how well they suit the situation. The original script may have been about teenage lovers, but while watching an octogenarian Juliet (Siân Phillips) and her similarly geriatric Romeo (Michael Byrne) it is hard to believe that they were not the intended cast. And that is not only a testament to the timeless beauty of Shakespeare's words but also to the stunning performances and flawless production. I have always wanted to be one of those waspish theatre reviewers that try to prove how cultured they are by finding fault, but if there was a weak link here, I could not find it.

That is not to say that everyone was equal. For me the stellar performance was without a doubt Golda Rosheuvel, as Nurse. Her energy and humour provided many of the laughs but that didn't mean that you couldn't take her compassion and grief seriously as well. Siân Philips made as beautiful a Juliet as anyone quarter of her age would have done and her experience made the character much richer and more interesting than a teenager could ever be. In fact, that was true of the whole play; the age of the main characters added poignancy to the story and was a wonderful antidote to the enormous number of “boy meets girl” stories in the cinema over the last decade.

Not only that, but it added humour that Shakespeare never intended (and of which I have no doubt he would approve). Juliet forgetting why she has come out on to the balcony, or Romeo declaring that only the swift wings of love could help him over the orchard wall, are a lot more funny when they are declarations of people in their ninth decade of life. Similarly, the simple “Let's retire” remarks between Benvolio (Terry Taplin) and Mercutio (the very funny Dudley Sutton) got a roar of laughter where it might have gone unnoticed in younger performers.

I have to admit that Tybalt (Tim Barlow) blew hot and cold for me – sometimes he hit the mark perfectly and sometimes he seemed to be playing a different character altogether – and I thought at first that Michael Byrne was going to be the disappointment of the play. His opening lines were so incoherent I could barely understand what he was saying. However, as he became clearer and the story became more involved he grew better and better. In the final moments of the play, when Romeo learns of Juliet's supposed death and runs to be with her, his grief poured off the stage in waves and brought a lump to the throat.

However, Barlow didn’t manage to eclipse my other star of the night: Tristan Sturrock, playing Friar Lawrence. Apart from his habit of emphasizing everything with hands, he was captivating. It isn't a huge part, but it covers such a range of emotions, including – uniquely to this adaptation I believe – a cheery song and dance and routine which will no doubt have the purists shaking their heads. To me, it was a highlight.

Where the cast were good, the design was equal to them. A wonderfully simple but inventive set (Tom Pye) with brilliant lighting (James Farncombe) and sound that captured the feel of every scene perfectly (Jason Barnes) made a good play into a great performance. It was a tragedy like no other: undeniably sad but with much more humour than the words 'Romeo and Juliet' usually bring to mind. There was more laughter than crying in the audience, which might disturb some die-hard Shakespearians but made it much more enjoyable for the rest of us. You cannot take completely seriously a fight that is carried out using Zimmer frames as weapons, but you cannot fail to take seriously the murders that are the result. It was a curious mix of comedy and tragedy that just worked.

No detail of the play was lacking, from the stage hands dressed as medical staff, to the beautifully choreographed scene changes, to the inclusion of local elderly tea dancers to dance with the cast during the party scene. It was this attention to detail that was the icing on a very rich cake. I am no expert in these matters but I don't think we will have seen the last of this when it leaves the Old Vic. I wouldn't be surprised if it became one of the most popular of all Shakespeare adaptations. It certainly deserves to be.

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