Much Ado About Nothing: William Shakespeare, RST, RSC, Stratford Upon Avon, 24 May 2025, 3☆☆☆. Review: Roderick Dungate, AD Performance, 10 May 2025.
Photo Credit: Marc Brenner.
Much Ado About Nothing: William Shakespeare
RST, RSC, Stratford Upon Avon
Runs: 2hrs & 55 mi ns, one interval, 24 May 2025,
3☆☆☆. Review: Roderick Dungate.
AD Performance, 10 May 2025
“Apposite concept, but the production cracks under the weight.”
Director, Michael Longhurst’s, idea, to set the play within the context of a football team winning a key match, is strong and could work well. However, Longhurst focuses too much on his concept and too little on the play’s meanings.
The production opens as the key match closes; we are in the changing room. But there is such a load of whooping, cheering, singing, shouting and jumping that I would challenge anyone to understand what is going on. The effect is total chaos. A poor start from which the production never really recovers.
There are good things. Most notably Nick Blood’s Benedick. Blood pitches it exactly right. His lazy Estuary vowel sounds come as a bit of a shock; excellent, perfectly in character. He also handles the text with great skill, without ‘poshing up’ his speech, every word is full of value. Blood creates and attractive, friendly character, yet he handles his transformation into the last movement of the play with great skill.
Not so Freema Agyeman, as Beatrice. Agyeman is quite out of her depth in this role. Huge swathes of the text are incomprehensible, and she never convinces of her emotional journey. This is most evident in her scene with Benedick that reaches its climax with ‘Kill Claudio’; that she receives her biggest laugh with this line demonstrates this.
There are far too many sections of the play in which actors thinly demonstrate characters and action, as if they do not understand what they are saying.
The two ‘overhearing’ scenes are performed with most enjoyable comedic skill.
The play’s changing tone with the Hero deceit is well handled particularly from the smaller roles of Verges and The Friar (both Arthur Wilson). It is a joy to hear the Friar’s speech, sensitive, understated, full of understanding, Wilson draws us into the world of the play.
Director, Longhurst, rather than orchestrating an effect with this production would have achieved more if he had listened to what was coming to him during rehearsals. And paid more attention to detail.
Cast
Leonato – Nick Cavaliere
Antonia – Tanya Franks
Hero – Megan Keaveny
Beatrice – Freema Agyeman
Margaret – Gina Bramhill
Ursula – Lydia Fraser
Borachio – Jay Taylor
The Friar/Verges – Arthur Taylor
Don Pedro – Olivier Huband
Don John – Nojan Khazai
Benedick – Nick Blood
Claudio – Daniel Adeosun
Conrade – Azan Ahmed
Balthasar – Posi Morakinyo
Dogberry/Oatcake – Antonio Magro
Seacole - Lydia Fraser
Sexton – Flaminia Cinque
Creatives
Director – Michael Longhurst
Sets & Costumes – Jon Bausor
Lighting – Jack Knowles
Songwriter – SuRie
Composer – Richard Hammarton
Sound – Emma Laxton
Audio Describers - Emily Magdij & Annette Stocken