Set in the world of celebrity football, and opening with the chants of “Woah FC Messina!” as the victorious players gather in the changing rooms post-cup final, the RSC’s “Much Ado About Nothing” amps up the drama with a seamless commentary on the darker side of fame in the modern world – that of social media, paparazzi and deep fakes. The fact that Shakespeare’s story fits so effortlessly in such a modern setting is testament to the original text, although a few alterations have been made here, occasionally in an effort to ensure continuity with the updated storyline, but sometimes for comedy purposes as well (Borachio’s “as I was smoking a musty room” is updated to “as I was vaping a musty room” to great comic effect, with excellent delivery from Jay Taylor in the role).
The success of a production of “Much Ado…” can often rest of the shoulders of Beatrice and Benedick, and the relationship between the characters. Thankfully, there is nothing to be concerned about here. As the love-struck pair, Freema Agyeman and Nick Blood have bucketloads of chemistry and are impossible to not like. Their vicious taunting of each other in the opening scenes is done fairly tongue-in-cheek, meaning that their hidden feelings for each other do not seem to blossom from nowhere. The actors’ reactions upon hearing that the other harbours feelings for them is joyous, although the scenes struggle from being so similar to each other, with the same comedic beats being struck as first Blood, then Agyeman, find increasingly ridiculous methods to “hide” from their friends in order to eavesdrop on their conversation, with Blood’s routine being the slightly more successful of the two. Whilst Benedick is reimagined as one of the footballers, Beatrice takes on the role of news reporter – which could create an interesting dynamic between the two, although that aspect of her role is seemingly dropped after the opening scene, when the action shifts to a luxury villa and Beatrice reverts to the role of “family friend” – although to extend the player-reporter dynamic further into the play might be to push the text a step too far.
Mostly, the world of celebrity fits this play well. Claudio (Daniel Adeosun) is played as the top goal-scorer who wins the cup for Messina, usurping Nojan Khazai’s Don John, who is sent off after an injury. This is a neat set-up (explained via various match reports as the audience file in) that clearly gives an explanation for Don John’s hatred for Claudio, and why he is determined to upset Claudio’s impending marriage. As a wannabe pop-star, Hero (Eleanor Worthington-Cox) comes across initially as ditzy and a little bland, performing an original pop song (penned by singer-songwriter SuRie especially for this production) in an attempt to seduce Claudio (not that he needs much persuasion). Thankfully, she is given more agency in the latter half of the play, after AI deep fakes leak online showing her in a dalliance with two gentlemen the night before her wedding, in a swift update to the script that doesn’t feel out of place. The intensity of social media becomes apparent as vicious and horrific posts are shared across various screens, demanding that Hero be “cancelled” and issuing death threats. Worthington-Cox gives a stellar performance as a character that has seemingly lost everything, before taking matters into her own hands with a plot to fake her own death, in order to win Claudio back (perhaps a misguided plan, but one that ultimately works, of course). The fact that Claudio and Hero’s relationship works so well is thanks to the actors’ ability to create a relationship that feels like it has been months in the making. Hero has clearly been present throughout the tournament (unlike in the original, where the characters have been apart whilst Claudio has been at war), and the chemistry brimming between the pair is palpable from the get-go.
As Hero’s father and owner of Messina FC, Leonato (understudy Nick Cavaliere) walks a fine line between comedic and distasteful (his attempted wooing of Gina Bramhill’s Margaret at the masked party leaves a sour taste in the mouth and is never resolved), whilst Don Pedro (Olivier Huband) is cast as the Messina FC manager, and shares a good friendship with the rest of the male cast. In fact, it is this friendship that is one of the stronger aspects of the play – despite perhaps leaning a little too far into lad-culture, the harmless mocking of each other is fun and helps to build camaraderie between the male characters, whilst additional mimed scenes of Hero’s hen night are acted out in the background to allow for similar relationships to build between the female characters.
Jon Bausor’s set is a marvel, first recreating the changing rooms and then shifting to Leonato’s villa for an after party and Hero’s wedding. Throughout, a swimming pool is present in the centre of the stage, which creates some fun comic moments in the opening half (Benedick using the pool to hide in whilst listening to Pedro and Leonato discussing Beatrice), but is forgotten about in the second half, instead getting in the way of some of the action. As a result, some physical comedy from the watch (Antonia Magro as Dogberry, Arthur Wilson as Verges and Megan Keaveny as Seacole) ends up being a little restricted. Still, the set and costumes are all incredibly glamorous and Jack Knowles’ lighting design helps to create some gorgeous sunsets that one can truly believe they have been transported from Stratford-upon-Avon to the island of Sicily.
Overall, this comedy is a roaring success, with a setting that makes the play feel fresh and lends itself well to not only upping the hilarity (the cast have great fun with snippets of karaoke during the masked party) but also upping the ante when it comes to the stakes associated with cancel-culture. Not everything works as well as one might hope (Beatrice’s outburst of “Kill Claudio” feels so out-of-place that a moment of intensity is transformed into one that seems almost bizarre) but on the whole, this is an incredibly fun night of theatre that is sure to appeal to theatre-goers of all ages. It is productions like this that show us just how relevant Shakespeare’s plays remain, and help us to understand the reason we revisit them again and again.
Tom Morley, May 2025
For more information on how I decide on star ratings, see here: Star ratings – Broken Legs Blog
Review round-up:
Broadway World: MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, Royal Shakespeare Theatre – Mixed reviews for this production, so let’s start with the good – a 4-star review from Broadway World, who call the production a “spectacle“, commending a stand-out performance from Gina Bramhill’s Margaret
The Stage: much Ado About Nothing review – A particularly damning 2-star review from The Stage, who call the production “overwrought and oddly joyless” (although their full review, which you can only read if you are a subscriber, doesn’t go into much more detail on why, except to say that it is hard to “feel invested” in the character’s relationships)
Whatsonstage: Much Ado About Nothing at the RSC’s Royal Shakespeare Theatre – The production fares a little better here, with 3 stars from Whatsonstage, who call this production “lively and fresh“, but claim some characters are “shallow, vacuous and unlikeable” (an opinion I most certainly did not share!)
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