At a crucial point of the action Benedick unwisely hides (purists look away now) in the waste compartment of a portable Ice Cream stall to eavesdrop on his friends. Inevitably they rain litter, old ice cream scoops, and even Sprinkles, down upon him. And we are tense to see with what, if any, dignity he finally emerges.
And this can stand as a metaphor for Simon Godwin’s new production of Much Ado about Nothing. This is not usually thought of as one of Shakespeare’s Problem Plays. But it does pose the problem of how to attract a young audience averse to Elizabethan costume and banter to a show which has a creaky plot, is tainted by misogyny, and dominated by two very gobby characters.
One solution is to update the setting and disguise it as a mocking, quick-fire, inventive, actor-friendly, musical tribute to screwball comedy. In short, a romp.
So Much Ado is relocated to a fantasy Art Deco Hotel Messina in Sicily (a fine imposing set by Anna Fleischle). This is a world that we think we know so well. Katherine and Cary, Fred and Ginger, Cary and Rosalind, are just around the corner and while we wait we have their Elizabethan originals, Beatrice and Benedick. (Katherine Parkinson and John Heffernan) to enjoy.