Review: Much Ado About Nothing – Shakespeare’s Globe

Chelsea Walker’s Much Ado About Nothing at Shakespeare’s Globe is a joyous romp and a fresh take on one of Shakespeare’s most accessible comedies. It’s not hard to follow the plot, even if you don’t catch every word, and whilst the baddie is well portrayed here by Joseph Potter, Don John is pretty tame in terms of Shakespeare’s villains. He’s updated here, with a narcotic of choice more often associated with modern-day city boys than Shakespearean bad boys. All the characters are similarly refreshed through Jackie Orton’s costume choices: we see slick suits and slip dresses, to say nothing of Leonato’s Versace-inspired opening outfit.

Stage design, by Sami Fendall, is mainly white monochrome and works really well for this staging: it really doesn’t require anything more opulent, and dual-height levels alongside convenient pillars to hide behind do the trick.

Chelsea Walker’s Much Ado About Nothing at Shakespeare’s Globe is a joyous romp and a fresh take on one of Shakespeare’s most accessible comedies.

There is music—live music, of course—played from a balcony above the action, with the exception of a cello solo during the scene at Hero’s grave, played on stage. Zane Duggan’s musical direction was subtle but appropriate. And there is dancing: a masked ball where all the players wear amazingly realistic animal heads. The music came into its own then and the dance sequence was fabulous—a kind of modern-day cross between a stately pavane and slightly raunchy galliard. A flash of brilliance.

Sparkling Ensemble Chemistry and Standout Performances at the Globe

And the performances by this hugely talented ensemble brought this sixteenth-century farce right up to date and made the central premise—that the two main characters, Pippa Nixon’s Beatrice and Ken Nwosu’s Benedick, could never love one another in a month of Sundays—perfectly believable. Nixon’s delivery of Beatrice’s witty repartee was pitch-perfect and had the timing of a stand-up comedienne. Nwosu’s swagger and facial expressions were brilliant too—so much so that I found his later sincerity a little harder to believe. The pair stole the show though and made the overall performance a wonderful, joyous summer night’s delight.

Praise should be given to all the other players, especially as Claudio’s part—a pretty major one—was read by a stand-in, Kaffe Keating, as Joshua John was indisposed. This meant that one or two other parts were swapped round a bit too, and Keating’s reading of his part was managed beautifully, with what I think was a bit of ad-libbing along the way. Dogberry, played by Richard Katz, is a gift of a part for the right actor, and Katz played a blinder. We will not forget that he was called an ass! He hammed it up fabulously and sadly didn’t get the applause he so richly deserved after his main scene, as the play moved on so swiftly.

This is a superb production of an ideal play in the perfect setting if you’re new to Shakespeare. And if, like me, you feel you are an old hand, it’s just as delightful. There’s nothing difficult about the play, the production is fun, and the comedy is ramped up to the hilt—and who wouldn’t want to watch it in the replica of Shakespeare’s original theatrical home on a summer’s evening? Anyone who has fallen in love with Hamnet will just adore being there, lapping up the atmosphere.

Praise to the volunteers who guided us so well is absolutely deserved too; they were kind and anticipated that we might be a bit lost. It’s not the most comfortable of venues—all part of the Elizabethan ‘charm’, I guess. You can stand for the whole three hours if you choose—the cheapest option—and seats are hard wooden benches. It’s not cheap to hire cushions and we noted several folks using their own versions; they’d maybe been before. The back row has the advantage of having something to lean on (a real bonus, though ticket prices are higher here). But you’re going for the experience, and I can see why plenty of audience members just love to stand as near to the stage as they can get. Actors use the standing area as an extended stage, and if you get right up to the front you’ll quite possibly get involved in the play, albeit briefly.

It’s an adventure, a distinctive theatrical experience, and mighty good fun. I’d thoroughly recommend it.

Featured Image: Jonathan McGuinness as Leonato, Assa Kanouté as Hero and Joshua John as Claudio in Much Ado About Nothing at Shakespeare’s Globe. Photograph by Marc Brenner