Much Ado About Nothing review, Noel Coward Theatre

Bride's pride fried

Much Ado About Nothing is a comic caper about a mature couple whose smart-arsed sparring points to hidden sexual tensions that must be released, and a younger twosome who ooze mutual longing and are done wrong by plotting princes. For this production, director Iqbal Khan has relocated the action to modern Delhi, blagging from bhangra and Bollywood in a blatant attempt to introduce the bard to a wider and more diverse audience.

In that sense, Khan's vision is a triumph. This is Much Ado About Nothing in the genre of a Hindi movie, where the right facial expressions can convey whole plot twists. It is a production driven more by visuals than words. Which is odd, given that this is Shakespeare. The first half of the play, even when one knows the story, is impossible to follow. It's colourful mayhem. Only the brilliant Meera Syal as Beatrice, Paul Bhattacharjee as Benedick, Shiv Gruwal as Don Pedro and Madhav Sharma as Leonato, pace their lines and provide sufficient clarity and nuance.

The problem is exacerbated by Khan's cast sporting Peter Sellers accents. The geography is beautifully conveyed through the costumes and the music, the gestures and the beautiful outdoor set. There is no need for call-centre-speak. White actors don't play Hamlet with Danish accents, or The Merchant of Venice sounding like waiters at Carluccio's. This is a story of nobles and princes. If you're going to introduce authentic linguistics, what's required is the modulated delivery of Imran Khan or Vikram Seth. Get it right.

In conclusion: It's easy to nit pick when someone takes liberties with Shakespeare, especially at the cost of the language, but there are many compensations in this warm, enveloping, frisky, RSC production, and it will put new bums on seats.

References
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