Much Ado About Nothing did not fall short of belly laughs and heartwarming moments on its opening night at the Royal Exchange.
One of William Shakespeare’s most widely-recognisable comedies, this was director Maria Aberg’s directing debut at the theatre – and she did not disappoint.
Set in post-WW2 Italy, the modern spin puts a fresh interpretation on the classic tale. Maria took risks and the setting brought something to the tale rather than detracting from it.
The story follows two sets of lovers, one who fight like ‘cat and dog’, the other who are madly in love but are torn apart by slanderous claims, only to be reunited after a faked death and a whole lot of drama.
The playful love-hate, will-they-won’t-they relationship so commonplace in modern-day love stories was captured perfectly by Paul Ready as Benedick and Ellie Piercy as Beatrix.
Awkward, endearing and incredibly funny, Ready was a real joy to watch. He had a carefree yet engaging nature that got the audience on-side, whether they were laughing at him or with him.
His counterpart Piercy was equally engaging, she brought a touch of old school Hollywood glamour to the show, with her chain-smoking, coiffed curls and cool demeanour.
STARS: Ellie Piercy (left) and Paul Ready shine as Beatrix and Benedick
Sassy and sharp tongued; Piercy effortlessly commanded the stage, cutting her love interest down whilst revealing flashes of vulnerability throughout
The wartime era was a time when women had to step into the roles that men had once occupied, which provided Aberg with a great opportunity to cast women in roles usually reserved for men.
The gender swap Aberg introduced, making Marty Cruickshank the head of the Leonata house was a real success.
Twinkly-eyed and loving, she transformed into a tigress when her daughter Hero (Becci Gemmell) was dishonoured.
This adaptation captured that strong mother-daughter bond, bringing a new dimension to the story.
The girls in general delivered on the night. The bumbling and ridiculous comedy duo Doberry and Verges, played by Sandy Foster and Beverly Rudd, had the audience in stitches with their slapstick humour and gormless, Dad’s Army carry-on.
Silly but stupendous, they brought the show to life with their humorous social climbing, hapless detective work and very own theme tune. Dogberry was also at hand to usher any latecomers into the show which was a little something extra that really worked.
The boys held their own too, Claudio, played by Shameless star Gerard Kearns, gave a gut-wrenching performance at his lover’s deathbed. His mourning scene was powerful, bringing a tear to the eye of a few audience members.
Barrio (Milo Twomley) and Borcchio (Danny Dalton) made a strong villainous duo. Although not the most flamboyant of Shakespeare’s troublemakers, both were charismatic and got the job done.
In terms of production, the show was strong, costumes were elegant and authentic, the staging was simple but captured that wartime austerity.
The sounds throughout definitely gave the play a sense of time. The choral numbers created by Jeff Borradaile that punctuated the show were ethereal, haunting and joyous, giving the show a real sense of occasion.
The movement in the play was well done and the party scene, in particular, choreographed by Ayse Taskiran was sublime. The music, staging and use of masks were inspired and created a busy and exciting atmosphere, although the use of Beyonce’s Crazy In Love may have been little left field for some.
Stylistically chic, well put-together and held in place by some hilarious performances, Much Ado About Nothing really was something.
