Much Ado About Nothing

It’s a nice idea, Shakespeare in a garden. It can work in Warwickshire, where Sudden Impulse Theatre come from. It suits a summer’s day. But this is Edinburgh, and the only thing that’s more certain than death and taxes is…rain. For the audience sitting on the grass outside Greenside Church, is it worth the wet bum? Well, not really. 

Bridie Vowles’s loud sarcasm makes for a decent Beatrice, matched well by Phil Malkin’s blustering and ruddy Benedick. But the rest is fairly run-of-the-mill: big costumes, big voices and big, enunciated Acting. It’s all a bit trad. Truncated, too, to fit into 80 minutes – although the adaptation isn’t too bad, keeping the plot intact and putting the Beatrice and Benedick relationship front and centre. 

The gulling scene has its funny slapstick moments as Benedick, in a dress and hiding behind a trellis in the garden, is intentionally doused in water by Leonato and co. as they pretend they don’t know he’s there. But, although most of the comedy’s good, barring an excruciating scene involving Dogberry and his goons, who actually manage to overact their deliberate attempt at overacting, the serious bits are less so. 

Apart from Beatrice, Benedick and Leonato the rest of the cast don’t offer much. If you really want to see Much Ado About Nothing, then this is only one of two at this year’s Fringe. But try to pick a sunny day, if there is one.