When I found out that Tom Hiddleston and Hayley Atwell were going to star in a new adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing—my fave of his plays—in London, I bought tickets as soon as I could and planned a vacation around it later.
Let’s Get This Show On The Road
If you took honors English in high school, there’s a high likelihood that you’re at least slightly familiar with William Shakespeare’s comedy Much Ado About Nothing. It’s a story of enemies to lovers, filled with exquisite banter, mistaken identities, a faked death, a shady brother, and weddings.
The Room Where It Happened
Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London. A lovely and not-too-large theatre that made for a particularly intimate experience, even with hundreds of people in attendance.
Sign My Playbill
Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy featuring a variety of larger-than-life individuals, from the self-centered and womanizing Benedick and the feminist and stubborn Beatrice to the sweet and innocent Hero and her beau, the naive and too-easily-swayed Claudio. Hero’s father Leonato; Benedick’s patron (and nobleman) Don Pedro; the bastard (both figuratively and literally) brother of Don Pedro, Don John; Hero’s maid and friend Margaret; and Margaret’s lover and easily duped dudebro Borachio all made appearances as well. Margaret, who’s often nothing more than a bit player, had a much larger role in this adaptation and served as unexpected but amazing musical accompaniment in a play that typically doesn’t have a musical element at all.
Notably absent were the idiotic constable Dogberry and his deputy Verges, but they weren’t really missed. Their slapstick antics weren’t necessary with this cast, who were all excellent at comedy, both physical and vocal.
The Book
This adaptation is shorter than the original and, like I mentioned above, features a truncated version of the cast. But it certainly covers the necessary parts of the play, the points that make it an entertaining and compelling story about love, and the addition of songs and various dance numbers add to the fun.
Setting the Scene
The set for this adaptation is very, very limited. No real set pieces, very little of anything on stage other than a floor covered with pieces of pink paper confetti and a giant red heart balloon that appears behind the actors at a couple of different points in the show. The actors move their own chairs around, and there’s a table that serves as both a bachelor party prop—it’s covered in booze bottles and empty cups—and Hero’s hiding place when she’s faking her death. These limited elements are used to great effect, however, especially the confetti and balloon.
Standing O
Unsurprisingly, Tom Hiddleston and Hayley Atwell were fantastic as Benedick and Beatrice. Their chemistry was palpable, even while pretending to be at each other’s throats. Tom proved himself a great physical actor, too; he “hid” in the confetti at one point and then rolled upstage for a great while, finally coming to a stand under the heart balloon, which then sagged around him. This physical comedy helped me not miss Dogberry, who normally provides the more slapstick elements, at all.
As much as I was there for Tom and Hayley, I will admit that Mason Park Alexander as Margaret totally stole the show. Their vocal range is exemplary, and their presence on stage is an absolute delight to watch. They brought the club to this “clubland adaptation.” And at one point they wear a hat with a small penis sticking off the front. There are very few people in this world who can pull that off, and Mason is one.
Honorable mention to the cardboard cutouts of Captain Carter and Loki used as in-show “photos” of both Beatrice and Benedick. The scream I scrumpt!
Statler and Waldorf Say …
I am SO grateful that I was able to get tickets to this show and make a London vacation possible. (We even took our almost three-year-old! He was a champ.) I’ve been to London one other time, and I saw an adaptation of Much Ado then, too; it was at the Globe, and I didn’t think anything could surpass that experience. Boy, was I wrong.
This version is an absolute joy to behold, and it’s clear that everyone involved is having a fantastic time while putting it on. It’s been running since Februrary, and the cast was clearly emotional at the standing ovation and whoops and hollers they received at curtain at our show in mid-March. To me, that’s a sign of a cast who truly loves what they’re doing, and it really makes a performance that much more meaningful.
FTC Full Disclosure: I paid for my own tickets to this show and got neither a private dance party with Tom Hiddleston (although there was some public dancing involved) nor money in exchange for this review. Much Ado About Nothing will end its run at Theatre Royal Drury Lane April 5.
I’m jealous.