By William Shakespeare
Directed by Chelsea Walker
Designer Sami Fendall
Composer Angus McRae
CAST:
Pippa Nixon – Beatrice
Ken Nwosu- Benedick
Jonathan McGuiness- Leonato
Assa Kanoute- Hero
Joshua John – Claudio
Adam Long – Don Pedro
Joseph Potter- Don John
Marlowe Chan-Reeves – Borachio
Matilda Bailes- Margaret
Geraldine Alexander- sister
Richard Katz – Dogberry
Os Leanse- Verges
Kaffe Keating- Seacoal / Messenger / Cover
Fia Hadeed – ensemble / cover
There’s high concept Much Ado, and low concept Much Ado, but it’s rare to see almost no imposed concept as here. It’s modern dress but doesn’t impose anything except designer clothes.
The set adds an additional narrow thrust stage, thrusting out from the main thrust stage, and a double set of stairs at the back, and dresses all in minimalist off-white. The balcony is much used. We saw the film of Hamnet a few days earlier and their recreated Globe is much smaller, has painted scenery on three angles, and no thrust at all. Argue that one out with Sam Wanamaker.
The second part adds flowers for the wedding.
It’s a reduced cast. We lose Leonato’s brother, Antonio (I’ve seen that before), plus they lose, Ursula. Borachio is a lone villain, with no Conrade to talk to, so he just does a villainous monologue. There is no Sexton / Magistrate, and Friar Francis becomes ‘The Sister’ a nun, which works. That means a reduced plot too, though Margaret gets a lot of added lines (as well as singing) and Dogberry has to be judge as well. To me Conrade was the biggest loss. I think the budget could have squeezed one more.
They also dispense with the ‘returning soldiers’ concept, apart from the Messenger introduction. There’s not even uniform. To me that impacts on motivation. As a review of the National Othello stated, soldiers formed a bond of trust which is why they believe their comrades’ lies. That applies to Much Ado About Nothing (and worked well switched to football teams at the RSC). Also, Adam Long as Don Pedro in a pink jacket looks more like a DJ than a victorious general. Jonathan McGuinness’s opening costume as Leonato suggests a beach villa. You don’t ever sense Don Pedro, Claudio and Benedick as a tight group or team.
King Charles I changed the title on his copy to ‘Beatrice and Benedick’ and as usual it applies to this production. Pippa Nixon as Beatrice and Ken Nwosu as Benedick are a powerful pairing. Pippa Nixon is the best Rosalind we’ve ever seen, and it’s been a few years since we saw her on stage. Age does not wither. Not at all. A perfect casting choice as Beatrice. Nwosu is an outstanding Benedick. This is where the play stands or falls, and it stands.
Joseph Potter is a particularly angry Don John, and the role benefits with Don Pedro and Don John being a similar height and build. He displays his arrogance and entitlement in an excellent piece of business throwing his jacket around and insisting Margaret (Matilda Bailes) pick it up for him. That doesn’t go well for him. Both are very good in the scene. Don John is more interesting than usual. There’s ambiguity as he seems to burn with jealousy looking at Hero, but then rewards Borachio with a full on mouth kiss.
The masked ball is done with full realistic animal masks, which gets over the often ridiculous eye masks in concealing the whole head. It didn’t need a long programme note about animal references through the play though. That was really pushing at any kind of relevance.
There are obvious references. Don Pedro has a wolf’s head, Hero (Assa Kanoute) has a lamb (lamb to the slaughter), Beatrice has an Eagle with a sharp beak.
Matilda Bailes as Margaret excels, what with more lines, a larger part and a major singing solo. Marlowe Chan-Reeves is Borachio and they work well together. Their relationship is established early in the background.
The fun of the play comes in the two over-hearing scenes. Benedick comes first, and it’s such a good idea that fits the Globe. He joins the groundlings in the audience, but is given a programme as concealment so we know where he is as he moves around.
Then it’s topped by some up-down-no up, no down business using the double staircase. He ends up in the flower cart on stage which is full of water. I thought to myself that someone had seen Oliver Chris in the bathtub in The Bridge’s Midsummer Night’s Dream. Still, take good ideas when you see them. It’s always a great scene, and this was one of the better examples both in ideas, and in Ken Nwosu’s performance.
Beatrice obviously has to follow it with her overhearing scene and gets less time. She starts out in the audience.
Then she uses the columns to hide as Ursula in mid conversation puts up the hanging baskets of flowers and she gets watered. Having no Ursula also shortens her role.
Normally you might feel sorry for the actors getting soaked, but at 32° C in the pit, I’m sure it was welcome. It then gives reason for the pre-wedding dressing scene where Beatrice has a heavy cold.
When Don John gulls Don Pedro and Claudio into believing Hero is with Borachio above in the bedroom, he is assisted by them returning pissed paralytic from Claudio’s stag do. Claudio is in stag horns, and Don Pedro in a pink rabbit suit.
Part two opens with the Watch in standard supermarket security guard clothes. This is played closer to text than some though Richard Katz as Dogberry is allowed some leeway. I thought ‘Gazpacho’ for Borachio inspired and he sticks with it. I haven’t seen anyone else muse on the name Seacole, and change it to Seek Hole before.
Os Leanes as Verges is young, not the normal ancient, but Dogberry thinks him thick, thus asking him to write ‘villain’ pausing and adding V-I-L …. They struggle with the lack of Sexton and Conrade but get through admirably. The start of Borachio’s drunken confession is enhanced by having him on the stair, peeing on a pillar. For some reason critics get iffy about Dogberry and The Watch. I don’t. I always look forward to it.
The wedding scene is not over elaborate but has a humiliation that’s new- pushing Hero face first into the wedding cake. AND it’s not comic. When Claudio (Joshua John) is led to believe Hero (Assa Kanoute) is dead, we have a grave and earth which he clambers into it and covers himself with. Was I alone in thinking, ‘No, wrong play, that’s Laertes in Hamlet.’
Beatrice’s ‘Kill Claudio!’ always has major effect. This time it got spontaneous and widespread instant applause. I liked the ‘blood siblings’ oath with a knife too.
All three have full wedding dresses. After Claudio and Hero get together (always a hard one to do on Hero’s feeling and motivation, but they just do it as written), we get Benedick seeking Beatrice. And getting it wrong.
The music is excellent and well integrated, even into lines (no plot spoiler).
It’s a very good version, with spectacularly good leads in Pippa Nixon in Ken Nwosu. Dare I say the rest of the production doesn’t quite match their star power? If it did, it’d be a five. Nevertheless, for summer cheerful outdoor theatre and focussing squarely on the main plot, four stars is fair.
****
WHAT THE CRITICS SAID
5 star
Matt Wolf, London Theatre *****
Rith Sealey, All That Dazzles *****
4 star
Domenic Cavendish, The Telegraph ****
Dave Fargnoli, The Stage ****
Sarah Crompton, What’s On Stage ****
Philip, Theatre & Tonic ****
Oli Burgin, West End Best Friend ****
3 star
Arifa Akbar, The Guardian ***
LINKS ON THIS BLOG
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
- Much Ado About Nothing- Wyndhams, 2011 David Tennant, Catherine Tate
- Much Ado About Nothing – Old Vic 2013 James Earl Jones, Vanessa Redgrave
- Much Ado About Nothing – Globe 2014
- Much Ado About Nothing – RSC 2014 (aka Love’s Labour’s Won), Edward Bennett
- Much Ado About Nothing – RSC 2016 revival, + Lisa Dillon
- Much Ado About Nothing – Globe 2017
- Much Ado About Nothing – Rose, Kingston 2018, Mel Giedroyc
- Much Ado About Nothing, Northern Broadsides, on tour, Salisbury 2019
- Much Ado About Nothing, RSC 2022
- Much Ado About Nothing, National Theatre 2022, Katherine Parkinson
- Much Ado About Nothing, Watermill, 2024
- Much Ado About Nothing, Globe, 2024
- Much Ado About Nothing, Jamie Lloyd Company 2025, Tom Hiddleston, Hayley Atwell
- Much Ado About Nothing, RSC 2025
- Much Ado About Nothing, Globe 2026, Pippa Nixon, Ken Nwosu
- Much Ado About Nothing – FILM – Joss Whedon, 2013
PIPPA NIXON
The Importance of Being Earnest, Classic Spring 2018 (Gwendolyn)
The Tempest, Wanamaker Playhouse 2016 (Ariel)
Therese Raquin, Bath, 2014
As You Like It RSC 2013 (Rosalind)
Hamlet RSC 2013 (Ophelia)
Richard III, RSC 2012 (Lady Anne)
A Midsummer Night’s Dream – RSC 2011 (Titania)
The City Madam, RSC 2012
Cardenio RSC 2012
KEN NWOSU
The Alchemist, RSC 2016
As You Like It, National 2015
The White Devil, RSC 2014
The Roaring Girl, RSC 2014
Arden if Faversham, RSC 2014
JONATHAN McGUINNESS
Imogen, Cymbeline Renamed, Globe 2016 (Cymbeline)
Love’s Sacrifice, RSC 2015
The Tempest, RSC 2012
Twelfth Night, RSC 2012
Comedy of Errors, RSC 2012
KAFFE KEATING
Measure For Measure, RSC 2025
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