The cast of Much Ado About Nothing. Photo by Manuel HarlanThe delightfully camp rendering of one of the wittiest comedies in the canon, benefits from the supremely confident and well matched pairing of Hayley Atwell as Beatrice and Tom Hiddleston as Benedick the constantly sparring wit-merchants who eventually conclude that they love nothing so much as… each other. It takes a number of other characters to help them realise this truth during the course of the play, and their burgeoning romance burns slowly as a direct counterpoint to the explosive desire exhibited between the more youthful Claudio (James Phoon) and Hero (Mara Huf) who can’t keep their hands off each other. With the blessing of nobleman Don Pedro (Gerald Kyd) the youngsters are soon betrothed but fall victim to Pedro’s miserable and malevolent bastard half-brother Don John (Tim Steed) who hatches a plan to cause discord and disruption as a means to vent his malcontent’s spleen.
There are a few discernible tweaks and omissions in this production which with minimal impact ensure a tighter overall flow and snappy running time. The staging by Soutra Gilmour once again aims at the minimal and amounts to a few chairs and the occasional table with a couple of set piece effects to impress — notably a gargantuan pink heart balloon and the aforementioned ticker-tape drift which ends-up a foot deep, lending itself to the physical playfulness of the famous gulling scene in which Benedick overhears his friends discussing Beatrice’s love for him (one of several ruses in the piece). Hiddleston has an absolute ball in this moment, extracting every ounce of ridiculousness from his need to be close enough to hear, but remain unseen. He is also given carte blanche to wink, point and generally play up to his adoring fans who love every second of his knowing and inclusive performance. The revelation for me however, was Atwell’s Beatrice, whose command and ownership of her feistiness, determination and intelligence was spellbinding to observe - particularly in the later scenes where with indignation and a furious compassion she compels Benedick to act in defence of the ruined Hero, who has been sacrificed as a victim to men’s double standards.
Other cast members appearing in this production, include: Forbes Masson (Leonato), Phillip Olagoke (Friar Francis), Mason Alexander Park (Margaret) and Mika Onyx Johnson (Borachio).
With the star casting, (even cardboard cut-outs of their Marvel characters are deployed at one point to great comic effect), the show was always destined to be a sell-out. Thankfully the team have created such a wholeheartedly joyous production, that it will assuredly lay the ghost of the recent disappointing Tempest to rest. Whatever has Jamie Lloyd got up his sleeve for Evita, which is up next? I for one, cannot wait to see.
Plays at Theatre Royal Drury Lane until 5th April.
