Much Ado About Nothing

Synopsis

After civil war Messina seems to have returned to peace with few casualties and a courtship holds the promise of reconciling the battle of the sexes in a well matched wedding. But the reconciliation's have been too hurried and soldiers can't return to the civilian world overnight.

Our Review:

19 December 2007

Much Ado About Nothing is a play that often relies heavily on the sparkling wordplay of the two main characters, the verbal sparring tending to mask the brutal treatment meted out to Hero. But Nicholas Hytner offers us something different in this superb production: a middle-aged Benedick and Beatrice who are far from happy with their lot, whose wit and jousting mask an insecurity and discontentment.

Simon Russell Beale’s Benedick in particular is a portrait of the disenchanted soul. He’s the archetypal middle-aged man, the life and soul of the party whose bonhomie disguises an underlying unhappiness. When he swears that he will never fall in love, one hears the sound of a man who protests too much. He also has the build for the part - this is the first production I’ve seen where you can actually believe that Benedick is the trencherman that Beatrice implies he is. The many references to his stomach are highly apt and the comic potential is played for all ...

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Latest User Review

I.L.S - 24 March 2008:

Another winner from the National...

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