Theatreguide.London
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The Theatreguide.London Review
In March 2020 the covid-19 epidemic
forced the closure of all British theatres. Some companies adapted
by putting archive recordings of past productions online, others
by streaming new shows, and various online archives preserve still
more vintage productions. Even as things return to normal we
continue to review the experience of watching live theatre
onscreen.
Much
Ado About Nothing
BBC
2005 and Amazon Prime and other outlets April 2024
In 2005 the BBC commissioned a series of
modern plays based on Shakespeare. Only four were made, with this
21st-century rom-com an enjoyable twist on its source.
Playwright David Nicholls turns Beatrice
into the star newsreader on a provincial television channel, forced to
share the anchor role with old boyfriend Benedict. As the couple
wittily bicker, the crew conspire to make them fall back in love, as
much to keep peace in the studio as anything else.
Meanwhile airheaded weather girl Hero's
budding romance with staffer Claude is threatened by rejected suitor
Don.
Sarah Parish introduces Bea as a hard-edged
diva out of The Devil Wears Prada, but with enough hints of
unhappiness to suggest the effort it took to create a protective shell
around a vulnerable core.
Damian Lewis's Ben is a simpler character,
a happy-go-lucky bloke with little indication of any depth, and his
story is one of being very fortunate to catch a woman he hardly
deserves.
The two eavesdropping scenes (in which the
others let each one hear them saying the other loves them, thus
planting romantic thoughts) are enjoyably staged, with an
'accidentally' open microphone in one case and ladies' room chatter in
the other.
Billy Piper may start Hero off as more of a
birdbrain than is really necessary, but playwright Nicholls' biggest
change in Shakespeare's story lets the character refuse to be a victim
and grow in a satisfyingly 21st-century way.
Even Derek Riddell's jealous Don makes more
sense than his motivelessly nasty Shakespearean counterpart, leaving
only Tom Ellis's Claude as too underwritten for the actor to do much
with.
The occasional Shakespearean line in
Nicholls' script will amuse those who spot it without clashing in a
way that would startle those who don't.
Since Shakespeare's basic premise of the feuding couple who are obviously made for each other has become the model for at least half of all stage and screen comedies since then, it is no surprise that it works very nicely here, with the adaptor and actors adding original touches that make for a very entertaining 90 minutes.
Gerald
Berkowitz
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