Much Ado About Nothing

Before watching this play you will want to watch "Shakespeare Uncovered: Series 3 Much Ado About Nothing" which explains that "Nothing" is pronounced "Noting" because it revolves around overhearing what may be truths from the bushes.

One of Agatha Christie's characters says, "He is like Shakespeare, making long speeches with no one there to listen." This play is such; only we are there to listen.

There are many versions of this play to be seen. Most of them are popular actors of the time of the making of the movie and they try to outdo previous movies. In this (1984) version, the actors do not outshine the characters and you can enjoy the play as meant to be seen.

The play is a tad complex for a quick review. There is a set of people destined to fall in love however an evildoer may foil them. There are a set of snots that cannot stand each other; They may be trapped by a cunning plot of eavesdropping. Some atrocities are tossed in for comic relief. Then there is us. We must decide if this is a comedy or a comedy of circumstances.

The bottom line is you will not want to miss this play and especially this version of the play.

Watching this 148 minute highly professional BBC production cannot but warm the heart of any Shakespeare appreciator. The beautiful and witty Cherie Lunghi is a properly shrewish yet desirable Beatrice, and she is the greatest boon of this production.

This version, due to its length (I always appreciate using the full text), is divided up into two parts, and part one can sometimes become a little dull. BBC's Complete Works of Shakespeare seems to be made so as to honor Shakespeare's language more than the performing of his drama, and I cannot fault them for this, since I, too, ultimately consider the plays more literature than theater. But BBC's chosen actors and actresses are so consummately professional, clear-speaking and well-rehearsed that this becomes far more than mere recital (unlike, for instance, the dull Kevin Kline version of Hamlet). And in terms of animated and emotional acting, part two of this production more than makes up for whatever shortcomings in this department part one may have had. The wedding scene with Claudio's shaming of Hero was played intensely dramatically, and clearly the best sequence of this production.

I was also greatly impressed with the immensely well-crafted stage sets.

Today, however, this version does come across as slightly old-fashioned, or at least traditional. It cannot measure up to Branagh's movie version, which in this reviewer's opinion is one of the few perfect movies of any kind ever made. Its visuals underscore the beauty of the words, and the formidable chemistry between all the actors is clear as day. Even the text cuts are largely justified, as most of what was cut was not important for the action. A more definitive version can scarcely be made.

So the BBC version receives a 9 out of 10 from me. While it seemed textually complete, there were actually a few bits missing. For instance, when Claudio says of Hero, "Can the world buy such a jewel?", for some reason they neglected to include Benedick's reply, "Yea, and a case to put it into!", which is a pretty important line as it, among other things, prefigures Hero's apparent death and thus her placement in a coffin (= casket = case).

I have only seen these two Much Ado productions, BBC's and Branagh's (well, and the 2005 Shakespeare Retold version, but that was not anywhere near this league), but I am greatly looking forward to seeing other productions, which I hope I will have the opportunity to.

As most of the other comments point out this is an excellent and faithful performance, to the text and to the period. It is theatrical rather than cinematic, as with virtually all of this BBC complete Shakespeare, rendering comparison with the Branagh futile - it is comparing chalk and cheese.

Here, the comedy is brilliantly rendered, with several laugh-out-loud moments and enjoyably over the top acting. It is particularly fun to see Robert Lindsay at the masque - his movements of body and head are so characteristic of him that he is extremely easy to recognise even in his mask.

However, none of the comments so far have mentioned what for me is the stand-out performance of the play, Vernon Dobtcheff's Don John. This is an excellent, understated expression of pure villainy, snake-like, ruthless and sly, counterpointing the exuberant comedy elsewhere perfectly.

I concur with the predominantly favorable assessments of this production that have already been posted. Robert Lindsay and Cherie Lunghi are both excellent, and Katharine Levy is likewise outstanding in the role of Hero. Robert Reynolds (presumably intentionally) makes clear how repellent Claudio is, as he delivers a fine performance in that difficult role. Jon Finch emphasizes the silly and decadent dimension of the role of Don Pedro, in a capable performance that could have been enriched with a bit more gravitas. Michael Elphick is far, far better -- far, far funnier -- in the role of Dogberry than was Michael Keaton in Kenneth Branagh's cinematic version of the play.

My only complaint relates to Graham Crowden in the role of Friar Francis. He conveys the impression of not having memorized his part very well; his intonation in his recitation of some of his key lines is decidedly odd.

Lunghi's Beatrice and Lindsay's Benedick are nearly perfect and certainly seem perfect for each other. Television close-ups give an immediacy to their courtship that is hard to match on stage. The text is almost complete, allowing the two cleverest lovers in Shakespeare to shine as only they can.

Most of the characters in the play declare that Beatrice is unattractive because she is independent. Cherie Lunghi is especially good at proving the opposite to be true.

The rest of the cast is uniformly excellent, with a properly snobbish Leonato; unbearably and idiotically self-satisfied Dogberry; and a thoroughly clueless, moderately cruel Claudio.

The production would be stronger, however, if it were more playful. The deception of Benedick is mostly humorless, with the tricking of Beatrice not much better.