Review: MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, Royal Shakespeare Theatre

Former Donmar Warehouse artistic director Michael Longhurst swaps war for Italian football in a new, exuberant Royal Shakespeare Theatre adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing. The latest in a line of theatrical fixtures – including James Graham's award-winning Dear England and Tyrell Williams' Red Pitch ­­– this tale of returning heroes, their WAGs, rivalries and romance is sure to pull in plenty of young viewers.

Before the production even kicks off, we feel like we're part of the spectacle, with roaring fans, frantic commentary and dazzling screens proclaiming that Messina has beaten Madrid 3-2 in a European final. Messina's captain Benedick (Nick Blood from The Day of the Jackal and Slow Horses) and hot young player Claudio (a highly promising Daniel Adeosun) arrive with their teammates to celebrate winning their battle.

Accolades go to set and Costume Designer Jon Bausor for conceiving a decadent celebrity culture, with Champagne bar, DJ sound system, loungers and dual-purpose pool – communal bath for the footballers and plunge pool for Leonato's household. Although the pool at the front of the stage is a fun idea at first (there's a lot of slapstick involving water), it becomes a nuisance later on when it annoyingly pushes some key action upstage.

Bausor's costumes are fabulous though. There's everything from tight wraparound dresses for Tanya Franks' Antonia, loafers and chinos for the men when they're not lounging about in tracksuits, sparkling outfits for the WAGs and an eye-popping, lime-green trouser suit for Freema Agyeman's (Twelfth Night and Dr Who) fierce TV sports broadcaster Beatrice, who engages in witty, verbal battles with Benedick.

Longhurst carries off the football metaphor by and large, where nobleman Don Pedro (Olivier Husband) is a convincing team manager and Leonato (Peter Forbes) the seedy club owner channelling media tycoon Silvio Berlusconi. A nice touch is baddie Don John (Nojan Khazai) getting injured and taking revenge on star striker Claudio who replaces him on the pitch.

Eleanor Worthington-Cox's Hero is hilarious as a scene-stealing mash-up of a Margot Robbie Barbie and Cheryl Cole in a fluffy pink jacket, mini-skirt and tottering heels. She could be a contestant on Love Island with her shrieks of delight and wide-eyed enthusiasm when Claudio proposes marriage. Worthington-Cox also treats us to pop numbers composed specially for the play by singer-songwriter SuRie.

Purists might not appreciate this modern interpretation where The Beautiful Game messes about with the original military theme – and with William's beautiful verse. I quite like the liberties taken with the language, particularly in the first half with references to vaping, twerking and a 'young signing' rather than a 'young squire'. Instead of Beatrice asking how many hath Bendick killed and eaten while at war, she wants to know how many he hath scored and assisted.

When it comes to the handling of the somewhat problematic shaming of Hero by Claudio on their wedding day, the production cleverly borrows from the generation more familiar with Bridgerton than blank verse. Pictures of Hero's face tacked onto incriminating deep-fake images are portrayed on screens, along with a multitude of texts commenting on her behaviour. A high five to Tal Rosner for such superb video design.

The standout performance for me is Gina Bramhill's Margaret, here drolly portrayed as the PR for Leonato's company LeoCo. She captures the audience with her presence in every scene where she appears.

And although the action involving Dogberry (Antonio Magro) and his watch could possibly be condensed a bit, it's wholly believable imagining such inept characters being employed as security guards for wealthy Leonato and his family.

Ultimately, this top-flight football rom-com is playful and endearing. I didn't feel enough chemistry between Beatrice and Benedick, and the shocking demand from Beatrice for Benedick to kill Claudio isn't punchy enough, but at least I was entertained by this he shoots he finally scores romp.

As a football commentator might pronounce, "At the end of the day, it's not about the result, but the effort you put in." The entire company, including props technicians who carted in items like a wonderfully kitsch Cupid fountain during the play, put in a good deal of effort. This isn't yet a sure-fire win, but hopefully during the run it will acquire the equivalent of Euro League trophy-waving success.

Read our interview with Eleanor Worthington-Cox about her role as Hero here.

Much Ado About Nothing runs at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon until May 24.