MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING. To 5 November.
Sheffield
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
by William Shakespeare
Crucible Theatre To 5 November 2005
Tue-Sat 7.30pm Mat 15, 19 Oct, 5 Nov 2.30pm
Audio-described/BSL Signed 25 Oct
Captioned 1 Nov
Post-show discussion 20 Oct
Runs 2hr 40min One interval
TICKETS: 0114 2439 5000
Review: Timothy Ramsden 6 October
Much Ado about – well, some good things, some not so happy.Washing hangs out to dry at the opening of Josie Rourke’s Crucible revival of Shakespeare’s comedy in as clean and neat a Messina as you could find, for all the mess of emotions played out on designer Giles Cadle’s piazza. The trouble is, the production itself’s too tidy by half.
There are things to enjoy. Artistic Director Samuel West opens his first season by acting Benedick and has the top-notch actor’s ability to respect the line of verse drama while giving it a natural conversational quality. There’s a properly military quality to his speech and bearing, seen at his peremptory rejection of Beatrice’s famous command to kill love-louse (as she believes him) Claudio, followed by acceptance as his mind comes into gear, realising his love for Beatrice.
Claire Price catches the double quality in her, describing the melancholy and joy of her birth – her mother wept then a star danced. But somehow, despite doing lots of right things, the character never quite bursts into full life: a quality of the production rather than the individual performance.
The most original step is turning the malapropistic Dogberry and his dull-witted proto-police troops into middle-class women. At their head Julia Dearden is appropriate but not very funny. Her linguistic contortions and misapprehensions should seem comic from such a self-confident character but somehow don’t. Again, it’s symptomatic of the production overall.
The conspiracy against Hero has one fine detail. When the servant Margaret realises how her innocent involvement in the previous night’s charade has been used for malign, apparently fatal, effect she becomes increasingly nervous in the servants’ line-up, sneaking away as soon as possible and not reappearing for the final celebrations.
And Tricia Kelly offers a couple of fine cameos, a lesson in quickly established character and strong vocal detail, while Nicholas Jones begins well, depicting a limping, still youthfully-minded Leonato, till generalised vocal distress swamps the character. There are other decent performances, and good use of a wheelbarrow for concealment. But several performances here, dull or roaring, mangle the verse so badly they should not be allowed within reach of Shakespeare again.
Leonato: Nicholas Jones
Balathasar/Hugh Oatcake: Jeremy Joyce
Beatrice: Claire Price
Hero: Georgina Rich
Don Pedro: Daniel Betts
Benedick: Samuel West
Don John: Laurence Mitchell
Claudio: Nicholas Burns
Innogen/Verges: Frances Cuka
Conrade: Paul Barnhill
Borachio: Pail Ireland
Margaret/Second Watchwoman: Rachel Leskovac
Ursula/First Watchwoman: Tricia Kelly
Soldier Boy: Oliver Birkhill/Liam Straw
Friar/Jack Wilson: David Shaw-Parker
Dogberry: Julia Dearden
Watchwomen: Linzi Vaughan, Vivienne Sedgley, Kristin Atherton, Caroline Haywood
Director: Josie Rourke
Designer: Giles Cadle
Lighting: Neil Austin
Composer: Simon Deacon
Assistant director: Ellie Jones
2005-10-25 11:51:05