Much Ado About Nothing - Shakespeare’s Globe - Raw Material Review
A review by Ellen Araya
Foreword:
William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing takes the audience on a thrilling journey of two distinct love stories and how rumors can sabotage great love. This play is described as a comedy, however its tragic elements become the key turning point of the story. Unlike Shakespeare’s usual tragedies filled with despair and loss, this story has an objectively happy ending, which was displayed as an ensemble. Through his script, Shakespeare establishes a community with all the characters, allowing this to show a multitude of loves, from romantic to platonic. The audience witnessed joy, love and laughter as well as anger, heartbreak and revenge all in a 2 hour and 30 minute production, directed by Chelsea Walker.
Adam Long as Don Pedro, Jonathan McGuinness as Leonato, Joshua John as Claudio, and Ken Nwosu as Benedick
Photography : Marc Brenner
The layout of Shakespeare Globe replicates the original Elizabethan playhouse where Shakespeare revealed his work to the world. The Yard around the stage allowed for the audience to be in close proximity to the actors, therefore creating a deeper connection and interest in the story. This worked well during comedic elements where the cast broke the 4th wall and interacted, specifically mocked, the audience.Though the set was simplistic, I believe this worked for the play as there were scenes where a master prop was used or the blocking of actors was a key element in a scene, where by having a busy set would have taken away from the performance . Walker’s blocking choices were very impactful at many points in the scene, particularly the “funeral” scene where we see the cast walk in a unique formation and see Claudio’s guilt manifest when he falls to his knees at Hero’s grave. This physical demotion introduces a moment of similarity between Hero and Claudio as she lay on her knees when publicly shamed for an affair that hadn’t occurred in Act 4. Walker also plays with proximity beautifully in this Act when Beatrice lay holding Hero in her arms as she sobs. Assa Kanoute (Hero) and Pippa Nixon’s (Beatrice) performance felt so raw and vulnerable , which was not only show emotionally but physically too.
Assa Kanouté as Hero
Photography: Marc Brenner
Though originally the focus of love is placed on Claudio and Hero’s story, Benedick and Beatrice stole the show. Ken Nwosu (Benedick) and Pippa Nixon played a crucial part in the comedy that the audience adored. We were able to watch them go from harmless bickering to a deep admiration for one another. However they weren’t only comedic relief, we had an opportunity to see how deep their love has developed. Out of anger for her cousin being publicly denounced, Beatrice tells Benedick she wants Claudio dead for his accusation and Benedick is willing to fight him to the death. We see Benedick’s attitude towards his friend, Claudio, change and this signals to the audience that his love for Beatrice is genuine. Nwosu and Nixon did a fantastic job at making this relationship between these 2 characters feel so real and seeing their love bloom was the highlight of the play.
The cast were able to deliver the comedy naturally and create scenes with a high level of emotion, depth and dramatics that the audience were able to connect with. Overall, Walker did an incredible job at bringing Shakespeare’s written work to life through use of specific props, movement, proximity and direction. This production is a strong piece that allows its audience to think wisely about the decisions they make in their own life (unlike Claudio).
Much Ado About Nothing |by William Shakespeare
The show runs at Shakespeare’s Globe as part of their 2026 summer season with tickets starting at £5.
A special thank you to Shakespeare’s Globe for inviting Raw Material reviewers along to see this beautiful show and for supporting us in all areas of accessibility.
