Much Ado About Nothing review

In a futuristic, timeless reimagining of the historic city of Messina, lavishly attired nobles drink from fountains of champagne, victorious soldiers rappel down from the rafters and lovers match wits as they strut on the dancefloor.

At times, director Roy Alexander Weise’s punchy, playful take on Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing may feel light on plot, with the already-breezy story of love, lies and disguises taking second place to bold aesthetic choices. But Weise’s hugely energetic staging, packed with song, dance and laughter, is carried along by its committed cast.  

Akiya Henry dominates every scene as a truly irrepressible Beatrice. Whether pinballing unpredictably between rapid-fire punning and daft slapstick turns or careening from crisply delivered witticisms to gales of squealing giggles, she keeps courtiers and potential suitors alike on a permanent back foot. Her verbal duels with Luke Wilson’s more measured Benedick are delightful but distinctly one sided – he simply can’t keep up. Instead, Wilson – here replacing Michael Balogun who withdrew from the production at short notice due to unforeseen circumstances – gives the reluctant lover an appealing air of self-assurance, confident enough to endure Beatrice’s constant taunts, at least in small doses. Whether bickering or growing closer, the two share some great chemistry, and the moment in which they finally reveal their feelings for each other, in the emotionally fraught midst of their mutual friend’s truly disastrous wedding day, feels heart-meltingly genuine.

Ann Ogbomo’s gender-swapped prince of Aragon Don Pedra is similarly assured, commanding and regal but relaxed enough to take pleasure in the general celebrations, pranks and flirtation she stirs up around her. Meanwhile, in a small but striking roll, the show’s movement director DK Fashola impresses as a canny Friar, performing rituals with striking grace and dignity, but surging into passionate ferocity in defence of the wrongly accused Hero.

The production boasts a spectacular, avant-garde Afrofuturist aesthetic, which riffs on both African and European design cues. Jemima Robinson’s set features marble-smooth monumental architecture set in a garden of sweeping palm trees and gently glowing flower pods. The playful couture costumes come from celebrated fashion designer Melissa Simon-Hartman, whose work also featured in Beyoncé’s 2020 visual album Black Is King. Here, colourful, highly patterned robes are draped over woven grasses, while chainmail hangs alongside transparent ruffs and stiffened skirts, all set off by a truly overwhelming quantity of glittering gold. 

MOBO-award nominated musician Femi Temowo provides a cool, moody soundtrack of jazzy guitars and smoky brass layered over reverberating ambience or an occasional rush of accelerating percussion. Live vocals pick out the play’s moments of deepest feeling – a victory celebration, a memorial service – adding emotional substance to this self-consciously stylish production.