THE Northern Broadsides production of The Canterbury Tales is certainly doing the rounds, in the spirit of Geoffrey Chaucer’s travelling stories.

After April dates at the West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds and the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough, the medieval capers can be seen in “very vulgar, very bawdy, very funny, very Broadsides” form at York Theatre Royal from Wednesday.

On the way from the Tabard Inn in London, Chaucer’s 14th century pilgrims regale each other with colourful tales to pass the time of day: love stories, rude stories, lewd farce, high romance, chivalry, villainy and jousting. Poetry and puppetry and song and dance bring further colour to Broadsides’ interpretation of Mike Poulton’s riotously witty script.

“There’s a vast canvas of humanity here, and that’s what makes The Canterbury Tales defy time, like a good piece of Shakespeare,” says director Conrad Nelson.

“We’re rich as a race and we’re full of contradictions; these tales show our darker side and our more fun side and we should embrace those contradictions.”

Each tale has a different taste, colour, smell and character, he suggests. “Some are poetical tales, some are fun tales, some are thwarted tales, and drama is inherent in all of them,” says Conrad. “They should feel like a complete set of tales but with individual characteristics, so you have a series of sorbets that refresh the palate, rather than one lump of steak.”

•Northern Broadsides present The Canterbury Tales at York Theatre Royal, Wednesday to Saturday, 7.30pm plus 1.30m, Thursday, and 2.30pm, Saturday. Box office: 01904 623568.