Michael Longhurst’s modern reimagining of Much Ado About Nothing at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre is bold, stylish and emotionally charged. Replacing the backdrop of war with the world of top-flight football and celebrity culture, this production offers a contemporary take on Shakespeare’s romantic comedy, complete with WAG glamour, tabloid scandals and digital-age betrayal. It’s a high-concept version that swings big and, while not every creative decision fully lands, the overall effect is fresh, intelligent and deeply affecting.
The production opens with a vivid sense of place: Beatrice, now recast as a sharp-tongued football reporter, interviews returning players fresh off a championship win. The football setting cleverly updates the idea of celebrated war heroes. Additionally, Hero’s shaming is given new intensity through the use of photoshopped images and a manufactured social media storm. This is one of the production’s most powerful choices: the betrayal feels both plausible and painfully contemporary. The result is a Hero whose suffering is no longer just symbolic or stylised but deeply human and recognisable.
Eleanor Worthington Cox gives a remarkable performance as Hero. She brings new layers to a role that can often feel passive, and in this version, she is granted not only more emotional weight but more stage time. Two original songs have been composed for her by SuRie, both of which she performs with grace and quiet power. The musical moments offer emotional pause points and help to shift the spotlight more firmly onto her, echoing the production’s broader commitment to amplifying the voices of women in the story.
Freema Agyeman is an exceptional Beatrice—natural, fiery, and full of humour. She delivers Shakespeare’s verse with clarity and bite, yet always grounds the performance in truth. Her comic timing is razor-sharp, but she also brings real emotional depth, particularly in the scene where she demands Benedick challenge Claudio. She feels modern without being forced, and her Beatrice is both funnier and more vulnerable than many. Nick Blood makes a charismatic Benedick, convincingly transitioning from swaggering football lad to lovesick romantic. His chemistry with Agyeman is electric; their verbal sparring feels spontaneous and genuine, and their eventual union is both touching and well-earned.
The wider cast is solid, with Daniel Adeosun as Claudio delivering a performance that grows in depth over the course of the play. The Watch scenes—often a stumbling block in productions—are handled with sharp comic direction, and the masked party, reimagined as a karaoke night, is a comic highlight. These moments capture the heart of the play’s comedy while also aligning naturally with the updated setting.
Visually, the production is striking. Jon Bausor’s set is slick and clever, with large screens flanking the stage and a glamorous bedroom that descends from above. The use of live video feeds—projected onto both the back wall of the stage and screens around the auditorium—is particularly effective. This is not just a gimmick; it becomes a narrative tool, especially during the wedding scene where Hero is publicly disgraced. Watching her image broadcast across the space as she is shamed adds a brutal realism to the moment, and reinforces the themes of surveillance, perception and digital judgment.
Costumes are carefully chosen to reflect the characters’ status and world. Hero’s wardrobe draws directly from WAG culture—stylish, fashionable, and occasionally excessive—while Beatrice’s look is sharp and glamorous. The ensemble is dressed in a way that places the play squarely in a recognisable, media-saturated present day.
While the production’s concept is impressively realised in its early scenes, there are times when elements begin to lose focus. Beatrice’s role as a reporter is introduced clearly but then fades, and the football motif, so prominent at the start, doesn’t always drive the action as much as it could. At times, the play seems to return to Shakespearean default, and while the text is never mishandled, some of the initial boldness does feel diluted in the second half. These inconsistencies don’t derail the production, but they do slightly undercut the cohesion of the concept.
That said, Longhurst’s direction excels in tone, pacing and emotional control. The comedy is handled with confidence, both in physical sequences and in the conceptual humour of the world—like the karaoke party or the preening footballers post-match. More importantly, the emotional beats are given the space they need to resonate, particularly for Hero, who emerges not just as a wronged daughter or plot device, but as the emotional core of the story. It’s a subtle but meaningful shift that rebalances the play in rewarding ways.
This Much Ado About Nothing is not afraid to take risks, and while not every risk pays off completely, the result is a production that feels purposeful, energised and emotionally truthful. With outstanding performances, especially from Agyeman, Blood and Worthington Cox, and a powerful use of modern media and technology, the RSC has delivered a contemporary adaptation that honours the spirit of the original while making it newly relevant.
Tickets are available at rsc.org.uk or via the box office on 01789 331111. The production runs until 24 May 2025.
Photography throughout from Marc Brenner.
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