Much Ado About Nothing is as much a play full of darkness as of sunlight. There’s repressed desire as well as love, mischief and villainy afoot in this much loved classic battle of the sexes. Mark Wollard reviews...
OUR VERDICT
Much of the action in the play takes place outdoors so it is absolutely perfect in the beautiful setting of Twickenham Riverside's Fountain Gardens. The fact that it was glorious sunshine on the night I saw it, was an absolute added bonus. The fabulous statues of the horses in the background really add a certain something to the production. The set, although simple, is absolutely stunning. Bright and colourful, just like many of the performances tonight.
It’s no coincidence that the RSS decided to set their Much Ado in the 1910s, as 2019 is the 100th anniversary of the first female MP sitting in the House of Commons. It makes sense as the women in this show are feisty, focused and fearsome. What also fascinated me was the decision to have the normally male role of Don John, portrayed by a female and renamed Donna Julia. I felt this particularly apt and in keeping with the celebration of the suffragette movement. Gender switching seems to be the norm these days and in truth, the role felt more villainous played by a woman. Grand job Nicola Doble.
Another fascinating break from the norm in this production were the ages of Benedick and Beatrice. Typically, they are cast as quite young, usually mid-20s to 30s. But here, we see them cast significantly older into middle age. This works superbly well as it’s clear from the start that these characters have a back story so being older is perfectly plausible.
It’s safe to say that Dorothy Duffy as Beatrice and Francis Abbott as Benedick steal the show. Duffy had me gripped from the start. She has a stage presence that most actresses can only dream of and she plays the role with such fantastic comic timing and aplomb.
Another standout for me was a very handsome Claudio, portrayed by Matthew Tyrrell. He played it with just the right mixture of comedy and melancholy, keeping that certain twinkle in his eye which stopped the dark moments from being too dark.
The staging of the scenes when Benedick and Beatrice are set up to believe they have feelings for each other are absolutely hilarious. Benedick with the newspaper and the blanket is complete comedy gold and got one of the biggest laughs of the night. Beatrice with the plant pot and bird noises was also very cleverly done and just goes to show that you don’t need exaggerated, over the top acting to score laughs.
Funny, beautifully staged and not a bad bit of acting to be seen, I went home feeling thoroughly happy and entertained.