Review: Much ado about nothing - The Jewish Chronicle

Open Air Theatre
Regent’s Park
London NW1

The Open Air’s first season in ages without a Midsummer Night’s Dream kicks off with a rewarding production of Shakespeare’s comedy.

Samantha Spiro’s belligerent, intelligent Beatrice provides the play’s cynical heart, while Sean Campion’s old-school bachelor Benedick is a charismatic but intellectually blunt foil. Tim Sheader’s production dances on designer Philip Witcomb’s gorgeous snaking ramp. The evening tilts a tad at crowd-pleasing, but there are surprises. Beatrice’s command to Benedick that he should kill the dashing Claudio arrives as a chilling punchline to a joke. Clever.

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