Much Ado About Nothing @ Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon There’s more than a dash of salsa in this sizzling and sexy Much Ado, set in the pre-revolutionary Cuba of 1953. It’s a high energy production which is full of sharp wit and knockabout comedy from beginning to end. Much Ado has no doubt risen in the list of most popular Shakespeare plays since Kenneth Branagh’s terrific 1993 film version which was memorable for Branagh’s own performance as Benedick, and Emma Thompson’s equally brilliant Beatrice. But although you are almost inevitably reminded of the film at several points during the evening, this production still feels fresh and original. Joseph Millson is hilariously manic as Benedick, but also remarkably tender when he finally realises his love for Beatrice and gives up on his assertion that he will never marry. Tamsin Greig, meanwhile, was born to play Beatrice. The star of off-beat Channel 4 comedies Black Books and Green Wing is just perfect, strutting across the stage in her high heels and pencil skirt and firing off some of the sharpest wit ever written. There are cracking performances too from Patrick Robinson as the soldier prince Don Pedro, Jonny Weir as his scheming brother Don John and Nicholas Day as Leonato. Special mention should also go to Bette Bourne (male) as the comical constable Dogberry, a character sometimes thought to be based on Shakespeare’s own father who once served as Constable of Stratford. Adam Rayner’s Claudio isn’t quite so convincing. Chirpy and charming in the early scenes, he seems a bit too smug and callous after rejecting Hero at the altar on their wedding day and leaving her for dead. When their reconciliation finally comes, it feels a bit rushed and drained of the emotional intensity you might normally expect. It’s a dilemma, though, for any director that this play comes dangerously close to tragedy and you can’t blame Marianne Elliott for taking steps to avoid tipping it over the edge. However, this is a minor flaw in what is an otherwise first rate production. For the uninitiated, this is a perfect introduction to Shakespeare. It’s funny, fast-moving and easy to follow. A marvellous Much Ado. Much Ado About Nothing runs until 12 October. | 
