★★★★★
If you had a somewhat painful experience of studying Shakespeare for GCSE English *shudder*, you may be tempted to write off the 16th century playwright as too difficult to understand. Filled with unfamiliar references, the works of Shakespeare may be all Greek to you, to paraphrase the man himself.
Breaking down these barriers and making classic literature more accessible is Michael Longhurst, former Artistic Director of the Donmar Warehouse. For the play’s 425th anniversary year, Longhurst has adapted William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing for a new audience. Focusing on footballers and their WAGS, the comedy is kicking off RSC’s 2025 season at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon.
First performed in 1600, Much Ado About Nothing tells the story of Beatrice and Benedick—two young acquaintances with a love-hate relationship. That is, this argumentative pair love to hate each other.
Longhurst’s adaptation features a stellar cast, with Freema Agyeman (Doctor Who, New Amsterdam, Sense8) and Nick Blood (Day of the Jackal, Joan, Slow Horses) as rivals Beatrice and Benedick. All of the usual players remain in this production of Much Ado About Nothing. Rather than soldiers and nobility, Longhurst’s adaptation boasts themes that are much more 21st century. With a sprinkling of pop music, modern technology, and social media, this Much Ado is all about celebrity culture.
At the beginning of Shakespeare’s original play, Pedro the Prince of Aragon, Benedick, and Claudio return from war and visit the Duke, Leonato at his sprawling estate. In Longhurst’s adaptation, Don Pedro is the manager of Messina FC. The team has just won their first ever European Cup and are euphoric with success. Coach Don Pedro joins star players Benedick and Claudio for some well-deserved R&R at the villa of club owner Leonato.
The Royal Shakespeare’s thrust stage—extending into the audience on three sides—is the perfect setting for each of the play’s five acts. Set and costume designer Jon Bausor expertly takes advantage of every inch of space as it transforms into settings including television studio, locker room, and courtyard.
Shakespeare has had a phenomenal effect on culture and the English language, and Michael Longhurst’s adaptation highlights how the play’s content is as relevant today as it was in 1600. In his RSC directing debut, Longhurst has so deftly adapted a four-hundred-year-old play for the 21st century. Using poetic licence to introduce modern plot devices such as mobile phones, vapes, and even Photoshop, the director has ensured that Shakespeare is as fresh as ever. By combining ever-important themes such as toxic masculinity and artificial intelligence with classic Shakespeare prose, Longhurst brings the classic will-they-won’t-they to a new generation.
As his fellow playwright Ben Jonson professed, Shakespeare’s plays are “not of an age, but for all time”. It is a sentiment that Michael Longhurst is proving correct with his fantastic adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic comedy.
Much Ado About Nothing plays at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre until 24 May 2025.
Words by Tayler Finnegan
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