Much Ado about Nothing?

This week I went to The Globe and witnessed an enthralling performance of one of my favourite Shakespeare plays – Much Ado about Nothing. In a time when London has a truly breathtaking array of shows to see, what makes The Globe still so popular?

It was a ‘reluctant’ summer evening, with a sharp breeze blowing off the Thames but the show generated great waves of warm laughter from a packed house, that hung on to every word. I read recently that one of the joys of seeing Shakespeare at the Globe is that many are clearly encountering Shakespeare’s plays there for the first time.

What a way to experience Shakespeare’s magic. Despite the seats being uncomfortable and at times not being able to hear the actors (no microphones allowed!), it was one of the most engaging performances I have ever seen and the cast truly merited the standing ovation they received at the curtain-less call. What struck me was the simplicity of the whole performance, minimum set and costume changes.

It was amazing that during the second act when the night was drawing in, the play drew in the audience; a natural atmosphere emerged which no amount of clever lighting could achieve. This is what these plays and the setting were intended to do. This is why Shakespeare’s plays transcend generations, places in time and languages, not because they have expensive stunts and staging but because the beauty still lies in the words he wrote and the atmosphere they create.

Ben Jonson once said that Shakespeare was ‘not of an age, but for all time’ and I couldn’t agree more, the humour and storyline still resonates with an audience.