AMATEUR THEATRE REVIEW: Much Ado About Nothing - The Hippodrome, Todmorden.

Shakespeare's somewhat farcical comedy, 'Much Ado About Nothing' is not one that gets as many airings as some of his other plays, and so when it does come around, tends to attract more interest. Here, Todmorden Amateur Operatic And Dramatic Society tackled this difficult script with zeal, and managed to come out at the other end, still smiling!

Taking the age-old theatre maxim to its literal ends, two major principal characters - Leonato and Benedick - were performed this evening with script in hand, as the actors due to play these roles were both ill. Therefore much praise must go to both Justine Sutcliffe and Lucas Smith for stepping in at the eleventh hour and proving to be most worthy members of the company. 

'Much Ado About Nothing' is a play before its time. The genre of farce had not yet been invented, but this gets just about as close as Elizabethan theatre would ever have got. Even the title itself is a pure indication of the ribald humour to be found within; since the word 'nothing' (pronounced more like 'noting'), being a pun on "overhearing gossip"; but also the word (ie no thing) was, at that time, a slang word for a male appendage...! The play therefore is all about male desire and sex. And even when the play starts to become "dramatic" and "epic" in the denouement, as characters denounce others and marriages are ruined, whilst the poor maiden almost dies because of a false accusation, this is still high comedy, and never once should we feel that the play has moved into "tragedy" mode. 

Directed by Elizabeth Holland, the play was, at least for this reviewer, treated with just a little too much reverence. Holland, as indeed many directors do, made the mistake of thinking that just because it is Shakespeare, it needs to be given a certain respect, and the text spoken with approbation. This was especially true in the second act, when the above-mentioned denouement takes place. This is nothing more than a low-class romp of a play, dealing with love, romance, trickery, deceit, duplicity, desire, virginity, secrecy, etc... and if it had been written in the 1960s would undoubtedly have had many a character running around in their underwear!

I am not a fan of updating Shakespeare generally. All too often, the text is at odds with the setting. Here was no exception. Cricket bats were "swords", and Messina (along with all the Italianate names - as well as the delightful references to Seville and oranges (ripe or otherwise!)) was a quiet English village. However, this idea was nowhere near as avant-garde and as jarring as many others I have seen; and it wasn't too difficult to imagine these exploits happening over a gentlemanly game of cricket. The cricket scoring board was an interesting idea, but was uncertain (perhaps because I don't know how to score at cricket) why the numbers were constantly changing. I do believe the "overs" numbered five, coinciding neatly with the five acts of the play; but felt that real comedy potential was there to be had, and just wasn't used [scoring each 'side' for the number of conquests, oneupmanships perhaps?.. unless I simply missed the joke.].

It took a long while for the play to get going this evening. The play's opening was slower than slow, an overlong and added commentary from a voice-over PA, and then some Morris Dancing, before the play started; and it isn't one of Shakespeare's shorter plays either. The Morris Dancing for the wedding however was much more successful. Once the company got into their stride, on this their opening night, the plot(s) were clearly signposted, and all had a good understanding of their characters and how they fit into the whole. And trust me, that is 75% of the battle with most plays. The large cast for this play was well chosen, and despite some of the cast being both quite young and new to Shakespeare, managed to convincly portray their roles and bring about an enjoyable and fun-filled evening of Shakespearean 'nothingness'. ['nothing' being one of Shakespeare's favourite words, often using it as a double-entendre].

With this being such a large cast, it would be impossible to mention all; but there are a couple who I do believe are worthy of a special mention. First, Katrina Heath (Beatrice), who stole every scene she was in with her undeniable talent of perfect comedy timing and lovely characterisation. Much the same can also be said of Janet Spooner's hilarious almost Pythonesque antics as head of the watchmen, Dogberry. Whilst mention must be made of the valiant efforts and strong characterisations of Maurice Claypole's grounded and sincere Don Pedro, Nick Birchill's commanding Claudio, and I do believe Lucas Smith (once off book) would have made a lovely Leonato, he showed much potential. These were all supported by a strong and talented cast of smaller principal parts and "chorus"; making for an enjoyable return to a play I haven't seen or read in a long while. Bravo to all involved. 

Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 15.6.22