In the play’s greatest scene, one of the most hilarious I have ever seen in a theatre, he simultaneously serves dinner to his two guvnors while reserving large quantities of food for himself, aided and abetted by an ancient and doddery waiter (the sublimely comical Tom Edden) who keeps falling down the stairs, and a member of the audience who suffers no end of humiliations. If you don’t laugh at this scene it can only be because you have already expired with mirth at the show’s previous gags.

In a great week for Caledonian theatre in London, the National Theatre of Scotland’s acclaimed Black Watch, about the famous regiment’s experiences in Iraq, has returned for a second run at the Barbican. It is a thrilling piece, combining verbatim theatre, in which the soldiers describe their thoughts and feelings about the war, with spectacular choreography and explosive battle effects.

I have reservations, not least the fact that few of the characters emerge as fully-rounded individuals. But the precision and passion of the new ensemble in John Tiffany’s staging is remarkable, while the raw emotion of the piece, with a script by Gregory Burke and stirring music by Davey Anderson, proves deeply affecting.

The theatre of war may now have moved on to Afghanistan, but the play forcefully reminds us of the enduring courage and sacrifice of British troops – not least in the brilliantly staged scene in which three men are blown up by an IED.

Despite a receding hairline, (Actor Rory) Kinnear is very much the student prince in his hoodie and rumpled trousers. His bedroom is a disgusting mess, he doesn’t take off his trainers when he gets under the duvet and he even smokes a cigarette while delivering “To be or not to be”. But you can follow every shade of thought and flicker of emotion in the soliloquies, which are delivered with a beautiful mixture of intellect and feeling.

Beneath the anger, the bipolar mood swings, and the disguise of madness that Hamlet adopts, Kinnear also discovers a strong sense of morality in the character, and an endearing warmth and humour. No actor can capture the full elusive complexity of Hamlet, but Kinnear often comes thrillingly close.