Much Ado About Nothing at the Royal Exchange

Maria Aberg follows her production of As You Like it at the RSC with another Shakespeare comedy, Much Ado About Nothing, and she continues in the same spirit of raucous, high-spirited staging. Paul Ready as Benedict is a notable highlight, bringing a rough energy to the physical elements of his character and a humorous awareness of the inherent language and wordplay. Alongside Bernadette, played by Ella Piercy, the chemistry bounces along and makes the most sense of all relationships in the play – proven by the audience’s reaction to their budding love. The post-war Italy setting adds little to the performance, which remains adrift in time, with the music often swerving across decades. The slapstick and aburdity of some scenes will be welcome to anyone still wary of Much Ado, proving to be very well-executed crowd pleasers – though may leave slight moments where the change of tone jars. Some strange but welcome touches should be kept under wraps so as not to spoil the surprise laughter – but there are some fantastically choreographed musical numbers throughout. Overall, a well-timed knockabout comedy coupled with strong comic performances creates a show not short of belly laughs and entertainment.

Thu 27 Mar – Sat 3 May, Royal Exchange Theatre, St Ann’s Square, Manchester, M2 7DH, Tel: 0161 833 9833, Mon – Fri 7.30pm, Tue, Wed & Thu matinees 2.30pm, Sat 3.30pm & 8.00pm, £10 – £32, www.royalexchange.co.uk