Much Ado About Nothing (National Theatre) London Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (25)
See it if you, like me, love Shakespeare made more accessible.This is a gem.Great staging, acting, and writing. It really is excellent.
Don't see it if you are a purist and don't like to see Shakespeare made more relevant and up to date.
See it if You like Shakespeare. Excellent interpretation of a classic comedy Accessable to non Shakespearean audiences. Current, lively, funny and en
Don't see it if You really do not like Shakespeare.
See it if you like charming, smart, funny modern adaptations of Shakespeare's comedies, that are approachable and fun, with great directorial touches.
Don't see it if you prefer more classic approaches to this material or a more contemporary fare. Also, at over 2.5 hours the second act does drag a little..
See it if you love reworked Shakespeare
Don't see it if prefer the classics
See it if you like your Shakespeare lighthearted and funny- though some of the humour was a little hit and miss.
Don't see it if you want a grittier show that makes more use of its rather impressive staging. Read more
See it if You want to try Shakespeare but not a heavy period drama. It has appeal to modern audiences.
Don't see it if You want Beatrice side of story line focused. Hero's plot is prominent. Also it feels like half musical.Lots of singing & dancing.
See it if you like a clever, serviceable modern Shakespeare
Don't see it if you don't enjoy shakespeare
See it if You want to see a modernized version of a Shakespeare classic.
Don't see it if You’re looking for an A+ show. Read more
Critic Reviews (8)
"This is symptomatic of a production that feels like it’s going through the motions, full of forced comic business to make up for its lack of heart. ... It’s not a bad show, exactly, just ponderous and hollow. This play should zing with witty repartee and with the thrilling, shocking sense that no one can trust their emotions: instead we get gelato, cravats and sunshine."
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"If this production has a fault it’s that it doesn’t feel even slightly urgent. It’s a luxuriant meander though ‘Much Ado’ that often seems immensely pleased with itself. ... Spending time at the Hotel Messina is a pleasure, a lazy holiday on which not a lot happens, very charmingly. It’s a wrench to leave."
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"The production does not, perhaps, plunge deeply enough into the play’s darkness, and no one actor commands our attention, but they all form a very able ensemble. ...this is a polished fantasy, extremely easy on the eye and a consummate midsummer comedy. You walk away not hugely moved or surprised – but certainly entertained."
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"Is it perfect? No, but it’s very serviceable in a bijou hotel kind of way – and there’ll be another one along, anytime soon; it’s a conveyor-belt classic."
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"Godwin, who would be many observers’ first choice to take over as artistic director at Stratford-upon-Avon, homes in on the human frailties at the core of the drama.Parkinson - is thoroughly at home with the production’s broad comic thrusts."
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"Godwin’s entire production is a feast of ideas, giving us a new point of interest in every scene- ... Crucially, each supports the text rather than overwhelming it. ... This whole production is a wonder too, and you will be just as helpless to resist."
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"The delicious design is matched by a production of both narrative and emotional clarity. Godwin’s style can sometimes feel aggressively slick, but for all its surface gloss this is an accessible production that hits the right beats. It’s a glittery, apolitical production but it’s well cast, stylish, summery stuff."
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"Unfortunately, there is something lacking from what seemed to be a promising offering from the National Theatre. The laughs are inconsistent and the drama inconsequential, though it has a handful of hilarious moments, the action on stage is never genuinely affecting."
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