Much Ado About Nothing

On a very pleasant summer's evening we were very warmly welcomed by Stephanie and Paul to this outdoor production of William Shakespear's Much Ado About Nothing. The set was positioned just in fromt of the walls of Wolvesey Castle in Winchester and provided a spectacular backdrop. The stage itself was a rectangular set of steel decking with stepped entrances and exits to the side, back and rear and was decorated with false doors to the side and back with a tree (to climb in the middle). Uncluttered and effective, it was going to allow the cast plenty of freedom of movement. It had been put together well and looked sturdy, especially given the number of entrances and exits that took place. It was used very well.

This delivery of Much Ado was set just after the war and the costume department (led by Charlotte Richfield-Betteridge) had worked well to provide such authentic costumes (RAF, Army etc) and added well to the staging. It also allowed the cast to really develop their characters and this they did very well and with much confidence. They were led very well by Arthur Wood as Benedick, Regan Hoskin as Claudio and Tom Dangerfield as Sir John and were equally well matched by Francesca Walters as Beatrice and Sam Jolley as Margaret. In truth though all the cast were fully involved and engaged in the entire production. Shakespeare is traditionally difficult to learn for most, however the cast looked very self-assured in their delivery and the diction was of a very good standard and gave the appearance of very few dropped lines. Testament here to the obvious hard work by Jennifer Hale and her team as the cast were well rehearsed (I would say) and they all looked as if they were really enjoying themselves, this came over very well to the audience.

The stage was well lit by Tony Lawther, really adding to the overall feel of the production, especially as the sun began to set. With good stage management from Angie Barkes and her team, the whole production was an unqualified success. Bravo Chesil, another triumph.

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