Much Ado, But Certainly Not About Nothing!

It was with great pleasure I was able to attend one of the preview shows for the highly acclaimed and much anticipated production of Much Ado About Nothing at the Wyndham’s Theatre on Friday night (20th May). Having already seen a couple of productions of this particular play, and performing in one of them, I was already very well acquainted with the narrative. This production of Much Ado, directed by Josie Rourke, was unlike any other I have seen, but felt almost like it was exactly how it was meant to be done.

One of the first things that strikes you about the piece is that it’s been modernised. Although it maintains the original Elizabethan dialogue, the play has been brought to 1980’s Gibraltar with Don Pedro’s (Adam James) men serving in the navy. Having just returned from battle, the men stay for a lengthy period of R&R in the company of good senior Leonato (Jonathan Coy), enjoying a week of parties and courtship.

The physical comedy and little add-ons throughout made it a much more enjoyable and memorable production compared to some others (which abide by the original script almost religiously). Pleasant choices for extra character depth, such as Don John (Elliot Levey) purposefully undoing the hard, Rubik‘s-cube-solving work of a small child was gleefully presented. The added levels of slap-stick and farce made the show enjoyable all round, providing laughs for those not already familiar with Shakespeare’s work.

By far the most outstanding aspect of Much Ado, though, had to be the banter between Benedick and Beatrice, spectacularly performed by David Tennant and Catherine Tate. As many will know from the pair’s time together on Doctor Who, they have marvellous chemistry both on-stage and off, providing the most natural and sublime interpretation of the character’s and their love/hate relationship. Their individual and collaborative performances truly stole the show, just as any Benedick and Beatrice should!

I obviously should not fail to mention the stellar performance of the other central characters, Claudio (Tom Bateman) and Hero (Sarah MacRae). MacRae displays a markedly more passionate and feisty Hero than one might expect (that is, if one has seen the 1994 version of Much Ado directed by and starring Kenneth Brannagh), but it certainly is not out of place and is a refreshing take on a character that has often been portrayed as being more mild-mannered and submissive. Bateman portrays the quintessential Count Claudio, polite and well-tempered but quick to embrace his passion and anguish. This is the West End debut for both of these artists, which when taken into consideration makes their performance all the more remarkable. These are definitely two people to watch.

The overall casting worked perfectly, every actor providing an excellent performance no matter how small their role, and everyone was clearly enjoying themselves. It was evidently a production that every member of cast and crew loved! It was such an impressive production it is hard to find any fault with it at all, and I was so gripped at one point my drink and my mouth did not meet for near on twenty  minutes! Overall, it was a production that I’m sure if Shakespeare had been sat in the audience watching, he would have been proud!

The evening concluded with a standing ovation, and if that’s not a credit to the sublime performance of the cast and the spectacular directing from Josie Rourke, I don’t know what is!

The opening night for Much Ado is on the 1st June, and will run until 1st September. Tickets can be purchased here.