• Advertise
  • Request Review
  • Write for Us
  • Privacy
  • Login

Theatre Bubble

The UK Theatre Network

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Reviews
  • News
  • Features
  • Spotlight
  • Opinions
  • Interviews
  • Guides
  • Tickets

Much Ado About Nothing at Gray’s Inn Hall

August 28, 2018 by Jessica Murray Leave a Comment

Review of:

Reviewed by: Jessica Murray
Rating:
4
On August 28, 2018
Last modified:August 28, 2018

Summary:

This distinctive original retelling makes for truly hilarious viewing

More Details

Walking into Antic Disposition’s staging of Much Ado About Nothing in the great 16th-century Gray’s Inn Hall, where Shakespeare first performed A Comedy of Errors back in 1594, is like stepping back in time. Seats are placed in tiers either side of the stage floor that runs down the centre of the room, while soft evening light shines through the stunning stained glass windows set high in the hall’s great panelled walls.

Except for the fact that centre stage a French waiter is blundering around with a bottle of wine and a checked dishcloth, and here the break from Shakespeare’s Elizabethan England is apparent. Inspired by the physical humour of French comedy genius Jacques Tati, Ben Horslen and John Risebero’s Much Ado is certainly not as faithful to the original as the venue is – and that’s no bad thing.

The award-winning theatre company are renowned for presenting plays in unusual spaces, and their 15-night run at Gray’s Inn marks the end of a summer tour across seven of the UK’s most beautiful cathedrals.

Shakespeare’s most frequently performed comedy, Much Ado is a complex series of misleading events and mistaken identities that threaten to thwart the marriages of the play’s two leading couples; honourable Claudio and the innocent Hero, and feisty Béatrice and commitment-averse Benedick. When their own plots to mischievously deceive one another are sabotaged by ‘the bastard prince’ Don John seeking revenge, chaos ensues.

Here Shakespeare’s Messina is not an Italian city, but a French village shortly after WWII, where celebratory red, white and blue bunting still hangs from every surface. A group of British soldiers are passing through on their way home from victory, and this is where the action begins.

A superb Anglo-French cast help make this setting authentic and a seamless fit for the play. The script itself remains largely unaltered – there’s no attempt to add in more modern phrasing or WWII references – so it’s the costumes, setting and musical numbers scattered throughout the piece that do most of the work in establishing this new time and place.

The live score is arguably the weakest element of the play, with the singers’ voices slightly dwarfed by the epic size of the venue. Some extra conviction with the song and dance routines could have brought them to life more.

But there are many outstanding performances here. Claudio’s (Alexander Varey) devastating shaming of Hero (Floriane Andersen) in the chapel is one of the most powerful speeches of the night, and Benedick (Nicholas Osmond) and Béatrice’s (Chiraz Aïch) fiery war of words throughout is captivating to watch.

The play’s most bold deviation from the original is in the excellently-portrayed Dogberry (Louis Bernard), the city guard who becomes the crux of the plot’s resolution in his own blustering way. This is where Jacques Tati’s style of silent physical comedy comes to life, and Horslen and Risebero have done a superb job of interweaving it with the more traditional elements of the play.

This is a distinctively original retelling of Much Ado About Nothing that capitalises on the ludicrous elements of Shakespeare’s tale to make for truly hilarious viewing, in a truly stunning venue.

Much Ado About Nothing is on until 1st September. Tickets are available here.

Author: Jessica Murray

Filed Under: Featured, Review Tagged With: gray's inn hall, Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare

Join the discussion Cancel reply

INTERVIEW / Richard Vergette on Leaving Vietnam

We spoke to Richard Vergette, writer and performer of Leaving Vietnam. Richard plays a war veteran who feels ignored and [Read More]

Review / The Journey To Venice at the Finborough Theatre

Bjorg Vik’s play The Journey To Venice is a delightful production, entertaining yet full of pathos. A play with a [Read More]

INTERVIEW / Tzarini Meyler talks KITES at VAULT Festival

We spoke to Artistic Director of LipZinc Theatre, writer and performer Tzarini Meyler about her upcoming show at VAULT Festival [Read More]

INTERVIEW / Naomi Westerman talks BATMAN (aka Naomi’s Death Show)

We spoke to writer and performer Naomi Westerman from Little But Fierce about her upcoming show at VAULT Festival Can [Read More]

INTERVIEW / Angharad Jones on The Swearing Jar 

From New Perspectives, The Swearing Jar is a comedy about love, heartbreak, living with the past and accepting the future. We spoke to director Angharad [Read More]

Top Posts & Pages

  • 5 Stage Elements to Consider for a Rousing Theatrical Production
  • Tim Edge talks Under the Black Rock
  • Romeo and Juliet- Rose Theatre, Kingston Sublime Shakespeare.
  • Peter Pan at the National Theatre
  • Claire Cunningham talks 4 Legs Good in BE festival
  • BU21 at Theatre503
  • Arts Funding as Propaganda
  • Ed Fringe 2016: Acting Alone, at Just Festival in St John's
  • Too High, Too Far, Too Soon- Tristan Bates Theatre
  • The Role of Stage Manager in a Devising Company
  • Jessica Murray
    Author

  • August 28th, 2018
  • comment iconNo Comments
  • FacebookTweetLinkedInEmail

    Newsletter

    Enjoyed what you've read? Get even more great content directly to your inbox - Completely Free

    About Theatre Bubble

    Theatre Bubble is the news, review and blogging site created by Blue Pie Media and run by a dedicated team of outstanding editors and writers: we're always looking for new contributors - to find out more click here.

    Contact Us

    News: news@theatrebubble.com
    Reviews: reviews@theatrebubble.com
    Website: webmaster@theatrebubble.com

    Privacy Policy

    Copyright © 2023 · Blue Pie Media

     

    Loading Comments...
     

      Share this ArticleLike this article? Email it to a friend!

      Email sent!