This sparky, funny, beautifully acted, 80-minute open air version of Much Ado makes the chemistry between Beatrice and Benedick clear long before the play opens. Why else do they keep singling each other out for verbal abuse, mockery and word play? Verity Kirk’s Beatrice, “born to speak all mirth and no matter” is feisty, cross, clever – but oddly vulnerable. Kirk has a fine range of mutinous expressions punctuated with sunny grins, but when she is comforting her devastated cousin Hero (Elizabeth Chu, who doubles rather cleverly as Margaret) she stops mocking and we see a genuinely outraged woman.
James Camp matches her perfectly as Benedick. He darts about pretending to avoid her, doing hilariously expressive things with his face. The gulling scene in which he overhears a conversation meant for him is the funniest I’ve ever seen it – I shall never look at a strip of bunting in quite the same way again. Ultimately, we know that there will never be a dull moment in their home because they’ll be sparring until the day they die.
George Readshaw is strong as the rustic, accordion playing Dogberry and acting as a quasi front man. I doubt that anyone new to the play would quite follow the intricacies of who is doing what and why is the plot against Hero, given the cuts and the doubling – but it’s a minor gripe.
Folksy songs – at least one of which is borrowed from a different play – are composed and arranged by MD, Ollie King. They feel perfectly apposite in the leafy setting of the Orchard at Grantchester especially as there are several competent actor musos in the cast and the choral singing is delightful.
In just two years, Half Cut Theatre has created a distinctive, highly entertaining way of working. The current tour is their biggest yet. Bravo.
Review by Susan Elkin