Nymans is a fabulous National Trust property located in West Sussex. This gorgeous, largely ruined, house sits in acres of beautifully designed gardens and is a lovely place to visit for a relaxing excursion. Last evening however, I visited Nymans for an outdoor theatre production of William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing by The Lord Chamberlain’s Men. Opening an hour early for picnics, it was a wonderful event.
In all honesty, I hadn’t meticulously studied this play before attending the show but that didn’t impact on my experience at all. On what unfortunately transpired to be a grey and rainy evening, the exquisite performance by The Lord Chamberlain’s Men plastered a smile onto the faces of the audience and made the dismal weather irrelevant. I loved every minute of the performance.
In short, Much Ado About Nothing focuses on gossip and the manifestation of what one overhears and believes. One couple, Claudio and Hero, are brought together through deception and disguise, with Don Pedro wooing Hero on behalf of his friend Claudio. Similarly, Benedick and Beatrice fall in love through both overhearing that the other feels affectionately for them. Alongside various other plot twists and gossip, the story is full of excitement and deception and all in all is thoroughly entertaining.
The theatre set was fantastic. Very basic and simple, showing simply the side of a building with an opening pair of doors, it worked amazingly. It’s incredible how the same scenery can be adapted to suit and depict different scenes and yet still be interesting. The use of space was a real highlight of the performance and made it fluid and exciting.
Alongside a great set, the cast were superb. My particular favourites were Jordan Bernarde, portraying Benedick, and Oliver Buckner who played Beatrice. Whilst both actors worked fabulously together in their witty and conflicting relationship, individually they were also excellent. Bernarde delivered hilarious lines with gusto and cheer, encouraging the audience to revel in his frivolity and delight in eagerly listening to his every line, whilst Buckner suited the role of a woman almost disconcertingly well and was equally talented. He expertly demonstrated the wit and sophistication of his character whilst retaining the perfect female charm and demeanour. It was authentic to see the female characters played by males, as was the case in the time of Shakespeare, so that was a nice feature. In addition to the outstanding talent of Bernarde and Buckner, Jon Tozzi did justice to the role of Hero and had fantastic hair for fashioning into feminine and masculine styles!
I truly have nothing but praise for this performance. The occasional songs were bright and merry (also very catchy- I’ve been singing ‘toss the pot, toss the pot, let us be merry’ on repeat in my head ever since!) and created an uplifting and light atmosphere alongside the twists and turns of the plot. The whole performance was delightfully entertaining, hilariously witty and fantastically directed from start to finish. If rain at an outdoor theatre event can’t ruin your evening, you know the actors were truly on form.
I look forward to catching the company again another time, but check out their website here to see their future dates and to find an event near you.
The Girl In The Window 