Much Ado About Nothing - Shakespeare WA (Shakespeare in Kings Park)

At first I thought I was in for another night of Shakespearean-Battle-of-the-Sexes which would have been dull to this reviewer but Paige Newmark's production of Much Ado About Nothing for Shakespeare WA offers much more. Set in Albany at the end of the second World War, this is simply one of the funniest shows I have ever seen. That is mostly thanks to an impressive central performance by David Davies as Benedick who literally stalks the audience, half man on a mission, half lunatic - he is so charismatic that he manages to dominate scenes that he is not in. During one scene the cast say his name in unison as if to highlight the point. His sense of high-jinks infects the show to the point that we are so carried away with the fun that the dramatic second half in which Count Claudio, (excellently captured by Nick Maclaine - a debonair crooner who shows his teeth when he thinks he has been wronged) and Hero, (a very moving performance by young Sophie Lester), are torn apart by the treachery of Don John, ( a silky but evil Sean Walsh) who convinces Claudio, Don Pedro, (Marco Jovanovic who is the centre of this production, calm, caring but misled as the Prince) and Leonato, (strident Stephen Lee who manages to show both the loving Father and the tyrant in his portrayal) that young Hero is not all she appears to be. Luckily the day is saved by the hilarious Sam Longley as Dogberry and James Hagan doubling as the Dad's Army-like Verges and Hero's niece Antonio who regains his youth in anger and wants to fight the young Count. Dressed in uniforms and 40's garb the entire company is excellent with no one missing a beat. Special mention should go to the highly entertaining dance routines. But it is always the couple with the 'merry war' that capture our attention with this play and we are never let down by David Davies and Hannah Day. While he is all confidence, she adds cool and the power of stillness to her characterisation. Her big moment comes in the second half when she is so outraged at the treatment of Hero. And for the first time in a long time I was happy to see them come together because they trully seemed incomplete without each other. He the Peter-Pan, running up and down, with his incredible voice, multi-talented and unpredictable and she forced to defend her position as lonely matron while every else can see how impossible both of their stances trully are. I left the park is an excellent mood and urge you to go and see this wonderful production by Shakespeare WA. The season ends Feb 2nd and details are available via the Shakespeare WA website. Go and enjoy.