The problem with operas that try to be funny is that sometimes they’re just not. Supposed jokes make for seat squirming rather than spontaneous laughter. Not so with composer Jonathan Dove and librettist Charles Hart’s latest comedy, Marx In London!, seen in its UK premiere at Glasgow’s Theatre Royal in a sophisticated and slick production from Scottish Opera.

That the subject wrote some of the most serious philosophical and political theories of all time, made this farce-style romp through the personal and human side of his life in 1870s London even more of a refreshing surprise. In a sort of musical onomatopoeia, Dove’s score set each scene from the outset. Whether the clicking typewriter keys of a Prussian spy, skilfully paced by Jamie MacDougall across the madcap day of this narrative, or the forte brass bursts as Marx repeatedly landed on his carbuncled backside in those silent confines of the British Library, the orchestra in the pit was as much in the spotlight as those on stage.

While there is a Marxian speech (on Dove’s soapbox of course), it’s mostly ridiculous rather than sublime. Doors are bashed on foreheads, potted palm and piano float in suspension above the streets of London, a long-lost illegitimate son is unceremoniously bundled into a trunk, and Marx himself comes down the chimney. It’s all great fun, with a consistently fabulous cast of singers who are also decent actors, masterfully led by baritone Roland Wood as a splendid Marx. A sell-out, multi-generational audience absolutely loved it.

Scottish Opera: Marx In London!, Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Saturday 17 February; Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, Thursday 22, Saturday 24 February.