★★★★

“never a dull moment in this energetic and above all entertaining show”

Tom Wentworth’s version of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing promises a ‘sashay into the Golden Age of Hollywood’ but does the filmset backdrop stick in this brand new adaptation?

After the loss of Arts Council funding, the Watermill has been named Theatre of the Year by the Stage and the National Theatre. This accolade reflects the reputation of the Watermill Ensemble for innovative shows which often feature highly talented casts of actor-musicians. This production is directed by Paul Hart, who co-leads the theatre. He has assembled a cast of 11 gleeful performers who fill the small stage with energetic sparkle. Musical direction is by Robin Colyer.

You may remember a 1993 film version starring what was then British theatre’s ultimate power couple, Kenneth Brannagh and Emma Thompson. They were shoe-ins for the sparring roles of Beatrice and Benedick, who get some of Shakespeare’s funniest wordplay. In this show, Katherine Jack had tremendous presence as Beatrice (‘Oh! That I were a man!’), matched by James Mack’s buffoonish Benedick, who makes the most of the slapstick comedy that runs through the show. Jack Quarton is an impressive Don Pedro, as well as being central to the musical numbers throughout. The vibe is mambo, with plenty of up tempo percussion and some fabulous brass sounds.

As well as being an actor, Hayden Wood is an experienced director, musician and composer, last seen at the Watermill in ‘Notes from A Small Island’. As his engaging performance as Dogberry irrestibly suggests, he also tours globally as Basil in a Faulty Towers tribute show. Priscilla Grace brings tunes like ‘When I Fall in Love’ to splendid life, and Fred Double makes a fine Claudio to Thulis Magwaza’s blushing Hero. In last night’s show Leigh Quinn took the parts of Verges, Conrade and the Friar and Patrick Bridgman, who appeared in the final season of The Crown, was Leonato. In a successful gender-blind casting, Augustina Seymour is a wonderfully vampish Don John.

Although much of the play is as fizzy as champagne, there are some darker themes. There’s deceitfulness, a woman accused of dishonour, and a feigned death. These are somewhat lightly brushed over. The film set backdrop switches in whenever a recorded soundtrack starts up, in scenes which pastiche the hammy acting of 1940s Hollywood. There’s a symbolic camera on stage and some lighting kit too.

There’s never a dull moment in this energetic and above all entertaining show.

MIND MANGLER at the Apollo Theatre

★★★★

“The onstage chemistry is faultless, funny and occasionally emotional, without being mawkish”

A little over a decade ago, three students fresh out of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art decided to make some mischief. So, with dead end day jobs and pens in hand, they made ‘Mischief’; the theatre company that is now celebrating ten years in the West End with their inaugural “The Play That Goes Wrong”. Many offshoots have sprung up in the meantime, adopting the same formula. It won’t be alright on the night – of that you can be sure. And their most recent, “Mind Mangler: Member of the Tragic Circle”, stays true to their trademark.

But despite this element of predictability, there are quite a few surprises in store. Not to mention plenty of laughs. And the more we are drawn into the show, the more our respect grows for the odd couple who somehow manage (only just) to hold it all together on stage. Billed as a ‘two-man solo show’, it follows illusionist, magician and mentalist, The Mind Mangler (Henry Lewis), poking fun but also paying homage to the tradition of the magic show. Aided (or otherwise) by his hapless and hopeless stooge (Jonathan Sayer). Lewis and Sayer wrote the piece, along with fellow Mischief maker Henry Shields. Penn and Teller famously collaborated in the process, and the thinly disguised virtuosity of some of the tricks – even if they are apt to go wrong – certainly shines bright through the tongue-in-cheek delivery.

It takes great charisma to successfully portray a character who has no charisma. Just as it takes great talent to convincingly depict the talentless. This pair have it in spades. Lewis is imposing yet relaxed. Quick witted, he is a master at reading his audience (though evidently not their minds) and reacting with finely honed improvisatory skills. Sayer emerges from the auditorium as a planted audience member, making much of this concept throughout. This is their modus operandi. It is stretched a little thin, but the performances keep the entertainment factor nudging the high end of the scales. Not restrained by the magic circle it revolves in, Lewis and Sayer also look up to – and recall – comedy classics such as Laurel and Hardy. The onstage chemistry is faultless, funny and occasionally emotional, without being mawkish.

We never quite lose sight of the fact, however, that this is a scripted play and not a magic act. And we suspect that Sayer is not the only plant in the audience. But it never matters, as we are always rewarded with a punchline delivered with hilarious precision. The banter is delightful, and the lampooning is spontaneous and refreshing. Although we can see what’s coming, the performers suddenly twist it around, so we suddenly view it from a completely different angle. Lewis professes to be able to taste people’s names, smell their job, hear the thoughts of playing cards. We love to see him fail.

As the evening progresses, things do start to go right. Hannah Sharkey’s staging is slick and as precise as the mechanisms behind some of the illusions. But none of this lessens the comic impact, and we still leave the auditorium beaming from ear to ear. It feels personal, as though we have been part of a select few rather than one in a crowded West End theatre. That is where the true magic lies. You don’t need to be a mind reader to predict its ongoing success. We all love a bit of ‘Mischief’.

Tag Archives: Pamela Raith

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING

★★★★

Watermill Theatre

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING at the Watermill Theatre

★★★★

“never a dull moment in this energetic and above all entertaining show”

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING at the Watermill Theatre

Reviewed on 17th April 2024

by David Woodward

Photography by Pamela Raith

Previously reviewed at this venue:

THE LORD OF THE RINGS | ★★★★★ | August 2023

MANSFIELD PARK | ★★★★ | June 2023

RAPUNZEL | ★★★★ | November 2022

WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND | ★★★★ | July 2022

SPIKE | ★★★★ | January 2022

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING

Click here to see our Recommended Shows page

MIND MANGLER

★★★★

Apollo Theatre

MIND MANGLER at the Apollo Theatre

★★★★

“The onstage chemistry is faultless, funny and occasionally emotional, without being mawkish”