Duke of York’s Theatre – until 10 February 2023
Reviewed by Claire Roderick
4****
The National Youth Theatre REP Company’s 10th anniversary production of Much Ado About Nothing, remixed by Debris Stevenson, moves the scheming, flirting and revenge to a reality TV show – Nothing Island. The Shakespearean villainy and prejudices sadly don’t seem out of place in the cutthroat world of wannabe celebrities, and Stevenson has a ball setting familiar characters in modern jobs. Screens above the stage show the contestants’ introductory videos – Benedick (Daniel Cawley) is a stand-up comic, Beatrice (Isolde Fenton) is a psychiatrist, Don Pedro (Jack D’Arcy) is a brand ambassador, while Leonarto (Jessica Enemokwu) is now the executive producer of the show, giving orders to runners and trying to ramp up the drama and viewing figures.
Instead of returning from war, the boys are first seen returning from the Messy Villa, with the girls anxiously waiting to see if they have brought new girls back with them. Benedick and Beatrice’s sparring becomes a rap battle, and their heartfelt pondering on love takes place in the diary room – of course. The setting and energy of the production is irresistible, with the impressive young cast nailing the humour and silliness. The show runners attempting to remain off camera are comedy gold.
The plotting against Hero is a means to win the prize money for Borachio (Dalumuzi Moyo) egged on by the crew. In a swift 90 minutes, director Josie Daxter doesn’t have the characters linger over the darker moments of the plot – Claudio’s denouncement of Hero is instead commented on by the TV show’s viewers on social media, with their messages popping up on the screens above the stage. These became like an extra character – at times funny, but often cruel and offensive – that was completely recognisable to the young audience, eliciting exasperated sighs and gasps. The effects of social media pile-ons is shown beautifully as Don John (Jasmine Ricketts) reads what the world thinks of her in the final scene where the islanders come back to reality.
The shallowness and masks worn on reality TV are portrayed wonderfully in this production, but the quiet intensity of Hero and Claudio (Thuliswa Magwaza and Jez Davess-Humphrey) when they are together, and the banter of Beatrice and Benedick ensure that these relationships appear sincere in this production and as solid as any Shakespearean romance can be. A fantastic celebratory show.