Much Ado About Nothing, The National Theatre (Olivier), London

Simon Russell Beale as Benedick and Zoe Wanamaker as Beatrice are standouts in Much Ado About Nothing.

Rating: ****/5

Tuesday, 22 January 2008.

The Bard abounds in London this season, the West End alone having already played host to marvelous star-driven productions of Macbeth (with Patrick Stewart), King Lear (with Ian McKellen), and Othello (with Ewan McGregor and Chiwetel Ejiofor). Having written inarguably the most durable canon of English-speaking plays, Shakespeare and his ability to reach even the most modern of audiences with timeless characters and themes, is to be commended for achieveing a four-for-four score so far.

This latest Shakespeare production, on display in repertory at the National's intimately vast Olivier auditorium, relies less so on star power, employing instead the veteran talents of Simon Russell Beale and Zoe Wanamaker in the comic roles of Benedick and Beatrice respectively. Employing older actors in these two roles than are usually considered, Nicholas Hytner manages to keep the plot rolling along at a swift pace this fast and funny production.

The story, one full of misunderstandings and plenty of ribaldry, allows for Beale and Wanamaker to shine. With their beady eyes and perfect time, this plucky pair gets all of the biggest laughs. Still, the supporting cast, including Oliver Ford Davies as Leonato, Susannah Fielding as Hero, and Daniel Hawksford as Claudio, also get their chance to shine. Though the pair of young lovers have the challenge of animating rather typical romantic comedy roles, the two are lively enough to keep us interested in their rather predictable plot line. 

The fantastic rotating set, designed by Vicki Mortimer, is also to be commended for allowing the proceedings to shift from the intimacy of a private room to more public spaces seamlessly. Behind the revolving portion of the set, atmospheric evocations of the Sicilian setting remind us of the locations we're in.

Shakespeare plays are some of the most difficult to stage and to perform well, as evidenced by the great number of bad productions, but the London stage seems to be on a roll this season. It's the ability of the actors and director to step away from preconceived notions of Shakespeare plays as dusty texts, the stuff of what Peter Brook would call "the deadly theatre," and bringing a sense of immediacy to the proceedings that makes this and other recent Shakespeare productions so successful. Resetting the play is not necessary; the past is doomed to repeat itself. The challenge is to change with the times.