Much Ado About Nothing Remixed – Collective Theatre, London

Writer: Darren Raymond

Director: Nana Antwi

Pop a bottle and an aspirin; a casual holiday to the party island Messina quickly becomes full of hookups and hijinks following the arrival of a hot influencer train. Sound like Shakespeare? Thought not. Nevertheless, Darren Raymond’s redux of Much Ado About Nothing honours the tried and true while remarkably working in the lives and language of the actors onstage.

Trio Margaret (Rebekar Sunshine Oluyadi), Beatrice (Maria Tara Adedapo), and Hero (Helin Ekin) settle into their stay at the trendy Hotel Messina when news arrives that personality Don P (Chola Lumingo) and his crew will be in company. Among his mates are Claudio (Kyle Langlais), who falls for Hero on sight, and Benedick (Nicky Dune), who vows he will never fall in love despite being “surrounded by gyals”. As is tradition, he butts heads with the like-minded Beatrice in a witty battle, a seamless mix of London slang and high verse. Don P, the ladies’ man himself, sees that Claudio has “no game” and gives him a hilarious crash course on romance to lamentable failure. So, with Claudio deemed hopeless, Don P agrees to talk up Hero himself in disguise.

That night, Shakespeare’s masquerade ball becomes Raymond’s superhero blowout, and the air is electric. Loud modern hits intersperse fleeting flirtation, culminating in a choreographed dance sequence that simply belongs in this modern retelling. Beatrice and Benedick share a moment in costume, and the tension begins to build in spite of their strictly solitary dispositions.

As things heat up for Hero and Claudio, enter Don John “DJ” (Lucien Estick-Shaw) to collude with his own squad in hopes of splitting up the union. The audience is invited to empathise with DJ as Raymond takes him from Don Pedro’s bastard brother to a real kid who’s damaged somewhere beneath his tough persona, one who was “accompanied by a ghost at parents’ evening”. Real issues live in the writing of Shakespeare, so why not weave in new stories that speak to a modern generation?

DJ dispatches his boys to slander Hero’s good name, meanwhile Don P and Claudio scheme to match Benedick and Beatrice. Among their plots are pockets of cultural relevance. When Don P starts chatting about double standards for men and women, Margaret dissembles his unfair judgements. The traditions of marriage and masculinity that normally go unquestioned in Much Ado are drawn up, giving rise to some welcome conversation, even if the major plot points still reinforce old standards. Set next to Beatrice and Benedick’s will-they-won’t-they and Claudio’s marital distress, these serious beats are well-earned in the midst of a proven romp. For the latter half of the play, the neon “Hotel Messina” sign loses some of its lustre, fittingly leaving only “Hotel Mess”.

The principal characters are backed by a stunning cast who make every scene raw and buzzing. Security chief Dogberry (Jack Levi Harbord) tirelessly inverts every important word in his speech, resulting in a playful comprehension nightmare for his team. Fighting words are made modern and severe, but loving soliloquies are mostly preserved for their beautiful text.

Raymond’s writing and editing are exceptional, working in London language to breathe new life into an already lively story. It’s amazing how smoothly the two writers, old and new, coincide. The harmony and life present in the script speak not only to Shakespeare’s timelessness but also to the efforts of Darren Raymond and his team. Scene changes are not just efficient but exciting, distracting with bassy club classics and moody lights.

What sets Much Ado About Nothing Remixed apart is the people behind it. After 10 months of collaboration and rehearsal, the cast and crew have put so much of themselves into this performance, and it shows. Beyond the more blatant beauty of the production itself, the space for young people to express themselves and furthermore hear their stories echoed in their lines deserves the utmost encouragement. Raymond, Antwi, and every cast member have created a show undoubtedly worthy of much ado.

Runs until 7 December 2024