Much Ado About Nothing: A-listers star in two hours of clubland-meets-theatreland joy
Shakespeare productions can sometimes feel a bit elitist, out of touch with the modern audience, hard to follow and the language often downright confusing.
So what a joy it was to see this modern-day take on Much Ado About Nothing at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane – a mixture of club night recreation and musical.
Tom Hiddleston (Benedick) and Hayley Atwell (Beatrice) are joined by Mara Huf (Hero), Forbes Masson (Leonato), Phillip Olagoke (Friar Francis), Mason Alexander Park (Margaret), James Phoon (Claudio) and Tim Steed (Don John), currently starring in The Tempest, and Mika Onyx Johnson (Borachio) and Gerald Kyd (Don Pedro).
Much Ado About Nothing is one of Shakespeare’s comedies – about misunderstandings, love and deception.
Based in Messina, Italy, Beatrice and Benedick bicker with each other and Claudio, a soldier, falls in love with Leonato’s daughter, Hero.
Don John, who is Don Pedro’s evil half-brother, tricks Claudio into believing that he has seen Hero being unfaithful.
Meanwhile, Don Pedro and others plot to bring Benedick and Beatrice together. Claudio accuses Hero of infidelity and refuses to marry her. Leonato is persuaded to pretend that she is dead.
Hero’s innocence is proven and Claudio repents. He agrees to accept Antonio’s daughter in marriage and she turns out to be Hero after all. The trick to make Benedick and Beatrice fall in love succeeds and he proposes to her at the end of the play.
This production by the fantastic Jamie Lloyd Theatre Company runs at the West End theatre until April 5 and is two hours of pure joy.
With ushers dancing in the aisles and 1990s dance music filling the auditorium of this wonderful old theatre even before the start, you are given a good idea of what is to come.
Hiddleston and Atwell are superb – a reminder of what a real treat it is to see true A-list stars on the stage – with Hiddleston managing to capture an enduring chemistry with both his eventual stage lover and the audience.
Whether you’re a Shakespeare fan or not this show is one really not to miss this year.
And the Jamie Lloyd Company also continues its commitment to accessibility, with 25,000 tickets offered at £25 across the season exclusively for under 30s, key workers and those receiving government benefits.
To book see lwtheatres.co.uk / 020 3925 2998
Picture: Hayley Atwell and Tom Hiddleston on stage in Much Ado About Nothing (Picture: Charlie Stong)