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Much Ado About Nothing; Heartbreak Productions; DeMontfort Hall, Leicester

With their predecessors, among the likes of Branagh and Thompson more recently, this romantic comedy that follows young lovers Hero (Abigail Gallagher) and Claudio (Dan McGarry), in the week prior to their marriage and this tale has surely never seen this treatment before. Set circa 1945 in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of VE Day, the war has been victorious for the British and a series of both civilian and forces characters take the words of Shakespeare as written, and complete with a set that featured bunting and later camouflage produced the familiar story that saw Groucho Marx and the music of Glenn Miller play a supporting role.

With a healthy dose of artistic license, this production warmed to its audience and a tale with a twist soon became like an old friend. Heartbreak Productions are no stranger to De Montfort Hall's Gardens and the weather that also seemed strangely familiar was in the end no barrier to the warmth we all offered the company when time came to say farewell.

...next week 'Hamlet', but how will this be interpreted?

Nick James

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