Review: MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, ROYAL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY, Royal Shakespeare Theatre

For those searching for some mid-winter glam to lift the gloom, look no further than the RSC's latest take on Much Ado About Nothing.

Costumes, set design and direction all combine in this often thrilling production in ever-surprising ways. When the military trio of Benedick, Claudio and gender-swapped Don Pedra make their entrance abseiling down to the stage with their capes all a-flapping, you wonder why you put up with anything more pedestrian in the past.

Costumier Melissa Simon-Hartman has dressed the likes of Beyoncé, Doja Cat and Little Mix and here she brings an Afrofuturist sensibility which is anything but meek and sensible. Period stylings like ruffs and bodices are rendered in shiny gold, silver and pink. Every act brings new costumes paired with huge headdresses, LED-lit glasses and wigs aplenty. Even the scenes in the police station are more catwalk than perp walk.

Simon-Hartman's mobile artistry perfectly complements Jemima Robinson's neon-hued set of alien shapes and leaves the present - and maybe even Planet Earth - behind, something that may not be a terrible thing in the current circumstances.

For his part, director Roy Alexander Weise does well to ensure the dramatic and comedic aspects are kept intact amid the visual avalanche. The chemistry between Beatrice (Akiya Henry) and Benedick (Luke Wilson, a last-minute replacement for Michael Balogun) is rat-a-tat sharp with their early exchanges as quick and smart as a rap battle.

Henry is a shining star throughout, commanding and lifting scenes every time she appears. Also noteworthy is Karen Henthorn who, as a gender-swapped Dogberry, goes above and beyond to deliver a superb comic performance. Not all the cast make a meaningful impact, though - Taya Mings, also making her RSC debut as Hero, in particular is muted for much of the proceedings.

It would be easy to accuse this Much Ado of being more style than substance, and that charge does hold weight in more than a few places. This play, though, is hardly one of Shakespeare's more substantial works and the exemplary efforts to bring a new and exciting interpretation should be lauded, especially in these gloomy times.

The RSC's Much Ado About Nothing is at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre until 12 March.

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