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A review by lizzie_purplephoenix
Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare
5.0
Latest update: Aug 2024 (I added May 2024 review)
I am still in the middle of reading the Introduction of the version I've used for these reviews, hence it's still on my 'Currently Reading' list!
My reviews are listed chronologically according to the date I watched/listened/read them
The surnames are the actors who played Benedick and Beatrice respectively.
I have watched on film the following versions:
Tennant/Tate, 2011 (filmed theatre)
Denisof/Acker, 2012 (Joss Whedon movie)
Branagh/Thompson, 1993 (Branagh movie)
Wilson/Henry, 2022 (RSC filmed theatre)
Colman/Brooks, 2019 (filmed theatre in NYC)
Edwards/Best, 2012 (filmed theatre, Shakespeare's Globe)
I have listened to the following full cast audio versions:
West/Reeves, 2014 (DNF)
Tennant/Spiro, 2005 (BBC)
I have seen live at the theatre:
Quartey/Vitale, 2024 (Shakespeare's Globe)
REVIEWS:
September 2022 - read the play itself
This has been my favourite Shakespeare ever since seeing (multiple times!) Ken Branagh's 1993 movie in my teens, and I've watched a few different versions since and even did a free online course about it at one point! Reread this as a comfort read the past couple of days, I can't help seeing Branagh's version in my head when I read it, he and Emma Thompson were great in that movie. Of course I now want to rewatch all the versions I can get my hands on, I will never get bored of it...
It's Benedick and Beatrice that does it for me, enemies to lovers and witty banter.
March 2024
I just listened to a couple of audiobooks of this, and realised I can't rate/review different versions separately, so from now on I'm keeping a record of all the versions I listen to or watch here. In September 2022 I watched (rewatched for the 1000th time in the case of the Branagh version) the following versions, in this order:
4 stars - Tennant/Tate (2011, filmed theatre). Tennant is one of the very best Benedicks out there (though Branagh will always be my Benedick, perhaps due to nostalgia), he is just such a natural and absolutely hilarious. Tate was great too, but is NOT Beatrice. she didn't give her enough warmth imo. Very different to Thompson, who I prefer. This version does have my favourite Dogberry, though. I'm not sure that I like the feel of the setting, it feels quite seedy and the characters are all generally unlikeable!
3.5 stars - Denisof/Acker (2012, Joss Whedon movie) - While there are a few good performances in this - Clark Gregg as Leonato being one stand out, and Amy Acker as Beatrice (albeit more serious/melancholy than she should be) - on the whole this movie is lacking a lot.
5 stars - Branagh/Thompson (1993, movie) - As I said, this is my favourite, watched many times in my youth, though difficult now to tell what part nostalgia plays in terms of comparing it to others. Warm, funny, uplifting, and not only is Branagh in his element as Benedick, Thompson is just fantastic as Beatrice. Its big downside for me is Michael Keaton as Dogberry, he makes me cringe...
3.5 stars - Wilson/Henry (2022, RSC filmed theatre) - There was a lot to like about this one but it sadly fell down in other areas. It has a lavish, vibrant set with great costumes, Henry was great as Beatrice, and this has one of my favourite Claudios, but sadly Wilson was understudy for the usual Benedick and he did not deliver at ALL. Interestingly, Don Pedro was gender swapped to Don Pedra, and while she was very good, imo it does not work for the theme of the play, given Don Pedro is a major part of the misogynous attack on Hero. Dogberry was also gender-swapped, a choice that does work fine, and she too was good.
4 stars - Coleman/Brooks (2019, filmed theatre in NYC) - Set in 2020, (a year after its performance), around BlackLivesMatter, this was an interesting take and really enjoyable version, with generally good performances, Brooks standing out as Beatrice. I am sceptical about how it ended (with an epilogue that is not in the original play), and am not sure its modern theme sat well with what the play is actually about, but I did enjoy it.
5 stars - Edwards/Best (2012, filmed theatre at the Globe) - Fantastic version, traditionally medieval, at the Globe so it has that unbeatable Shakespearean atmosphere. Beatrice and Benedick were both brilliant, Best is second only to Emma Thompson, Edwards my 3rd favourite Benedick (Branagh and Tennant being the other two), both really understand the nuances and subtleties in the script. I only wish Dogberry was different, he was intensely irritating.
I listened to these two today and yesterday, March 2024:
2 stars - West/Reeves (2014, full cast audio drama) - I DNF'd this in the end. The performances are flat and rushed, the humour doesn't come through let alone emotion, and the quality of the audio is not great.
5 stars - Tennant/Spiro (2005, BBC radio full cast audio drama) - What can I say, not a single weak performance here, and really well put together audio. Both Tennant and Spiro shine. The "if I were a man" scene gave me goosebumps the way Thompson's does (though I still say Thompson's is the very best!). I haven't mentioned Don John yet - I actually think what I heard of him in this was the best of all I've seen and heard! He's not easy to get right.
May 2024
(Added August 2024)
4 stars - Quartey/Vitale (2024, live at Shakespeare's Globe) - There were few really stand out performances albeit entertaining enough. Vitale as Beatrice being one of them (similar to Emma Thompson's), and Dogberry was my favourite of all I've seen, he even made a couple of the cast laugh when they were not supposed to be, and endeared himself to the audience. It is amazing how differently this character can be played from actor to actor! Well, all the characters really but interestingly enough, he is the most varied of them all. But although this isn't my favourite version in terms of the performances, I absolutely give it 5 stars for the experience, I loved the Globe. I splashed out for a seat near the middle of the front row of the middle terrace so had a great view. The atmosphere was so much fun, the actors' interaction with the audience was great, the music and simple stage direction felt authentic, and the costumes were fantastic.
I am still in the middle of reading the Introduction of the version I've used for these reviews, hence it's still on my 'Currently Reading' list!
My reviews are listed chronologically according to the date I watched/listened/read them
The surnames are the actors who played Benedick and Beatrice respectively.
I have watched on film the following versions:
Tennant/Tate, 2011 (filmed theatre)
Denisof/Acker, 2012 (Joss Whedon movie)
Branagh/Thompson, 1993 (Branagh movie)
Wilson/Henry, 2022 (RSC filmed theatre)
Colman/Brooks, 2019 (filmed theatre in NYC)
Edwards/Best, 2012 (filmed theatre, Shakespeare's Globe)
I have listened to the following full cast audio versions:
West/Reeves, 2014 (DNF)
Tennant/Spiro, 2005 (BBC)
I have seen live at the theatre:
Quartey/Vitale, 2024 (Shakespeare's Globe)
REVIEWS:
September 2022 - read the play itself
This has been my favourite Shakespeare ever since seeing (multiple times!) Ken Branagh's 1993 movie in my teens, and I've watched a few different versions since and even did a free online course about it at one point! Reread this as a comfort read the past couple of days, I can't help seeing Branagh's version in my head when I read it, he and Emma Thompson were great in that movie. Of course I now want to rewatch all the versions I can get my hands on, I will never get bored of it...
It's Benedick and Beatrice that does it for me, enemies to lovers and witty banter.
March 2024
I just listened to a couple of audiobooks of this, and realised I can't rate/review different versions separately, so from now on I'm keeping a record of all the versions I listen to or watch here. In September 2022 I watched (rewatched for the 1000th time in the case of the Branagh version) the following versions, in this order:
4 stars - Tennant/Tate (2011, filmed theatre). Tennant is one of the very best Benedicks out there (though Branagh will always be my Benedick, perhaps due to nostalgia), he is just such a natural and absolutely hilarious. Tate was great too, but is NOT Beatrice. she didn't give her enough warmth imo. Very different to Thompson, who I prefer. This version does have my favourite Dogberry, though. I'm not sure that I like the feel of the setting, it feels quite seedy and the characters are all generally unlikeable!
3.5 stars - Denisof/Acker (2012, Joss Whedon movie) - While there are a few good performances in this - Clark Gregg as Leonato being one stand out, and Amy Acker as Beatrice (albeit more serious/melancholy than she should be) - on the whole this movie is lacking a lot.
5 stars - Branagh/Thompson (1993, movie) - As I said, this is my favourite, watched many times in my youth, though difficult now to tell what part nostalgia plays in terms of comparing it to others. Warm, funny, uplifting, and not only is Branagh in his element as Benedick, Thompson is just fantastic as Beatrice. Its big downside for me is Michael Keaton as Dogberry, he makes me cringe...
3.5 stars - Wilson/Henry (2022, RSC filmed theatre) - There was a lot to like about this one but it sadly fell down in other areas. It has a lavish, vibrant set with great costumes, Henry was great as Beatrice, and this has one of my favourite Claudios, but sadly Wilson was understudy for the usual Benedick and he did not deliver at ALL. Interestingly, Don Pedro was gender swapped to Don Pedra, and while she was very good, imo it does not work for the theme of the play, given Don Pedro is a major part of the misogynous attack on Hero. Dogberry was also gender-swapped, a choice that does work fine, and she too was good.
4 stars - Coleman/Brooks (2019, filmed theatre in NYC) - Set in 2020, (a year after its performance), around BlackLivesMatter, this was an interesting take and really enjoyable version, with generally good performances, Brooks standing out as Beatrice. I am sceptical about how it ended (with an epilogue that is not in the original play), and am not sure its modern theme sat well with what the play is actually about, but I did enjoy it.
5 stars - Edwards/Best (2012, filmed theatre at the Globe) - Fantastic version, traditionally medieval, at the Globe so it has that unbeatable Shakespearean atmosphere. Beatrice and Benedick were both brilliant, Best is second only to Emma Thompson, Edwards my 3rd favourite Benedick (Branagh and Tennant being the other two), both really understand the nuances and subtleties in the script. I only wish Dogberry was different, he was intensely irritating.
I listened to these two today and yesterday, March 2024:
2 stars - West/Reeves (2014, full cast audio drama) - I DNF'd this in the end. The performances are flat and rushed, the humour doesn't come through let alone emotion, and the quality of the audio is not great.
5 stars - Tennant/Spiro (2005, BBC radio full cast audio drama) - What can I say, not a single weak performance here, and really well put together audio. Both Tennant and Spiro shine. The "if I were a man" scene gave me goosebumps the way Thompson's does (though I still say Thompson's is the very best!). I haven't mentioned Don John yet - I actually think what I heard of him in this was the best of all I've seen and heard! He's not easy to get right.
May 2024
(Added August 2024)
4 stars - Quartey/Vitale (2024, live at Shakespeare's Globe) - There were few really stand out performances albeit entertaining enough. Vitale as Beatrice being one of them (similar to Emma Thompson's), and Dogberry was my favourite of all I've seen, he even made a couple of the cast laugh when they were not supposed to be, and endeared himself to the audience. It is amazing how differently this character can be played from actor to actor! Well, all the characters really but interestingly enough, he is the most varied of them all. But although this isn't my favourite version in terms of the performances, I absolutely give it 5 stars for the experience, I loved the Globe. I splashed out for a seat near the middle of the front row of the middle terrace so had a great view. The atmosphere was so much fun, the actors' interaction with the audience was great, the music and simple stage direction felt authentic, and the costumes were fantastic.