We round up the reviews for Emily Burns’ RSC directorial debut.
The Stage: **** “Emily Burns’ modern, Polynesia-set take on this tricky early comedy is a laugh-a-minute delight.”
The Guardian: **** “Emily Burns’ whimsical production does not aim to eke out contemporary messages on masculinity but amps up the silliness, turning it into a modern-day romcom whose joke comes at the expense of Ferdinand (Abiola Owokoniran) and his trio of tech bros, including Bridgerton’s Luke Thompson as the sceptical Berowne.”
WhatsOnStage: ***** “As new beginnings go, this one feels fresh and full of promise, a production that honours Shakespeare’s spirit yet makes him speak to the internet age.”
All That Dazzles: **** “Probably the funniest of all is the previously-mentioned Nathan Foad as Costard, with his delightfully camp portrayal of his part, with not much given to him by Shakespeare but every moment made the absolute most of. Often the prime interjector of Burns’ modernisations, strutting around in a dressing gown, it’s hard to imagine anyone playing the role better.”
The Telegraph: **** “The rom-com’s clowning elements gladden the heart and for Bridgerton fans, all eyes are on the photogenic Luke Thompson.”
Theatre Cat.com: “Abiola Owokonira ‘s prince is good and Luke Thompson as Berowne (an RSC debut) is the life and engine of the Lords group, and the only one showing some depth of intelligence, while Melanie-Joyce Bermudez, also new here, carries real dignity as the Princess, even in the scenes where she is amid her gigglingly Instagrammy gal-pals. But It’s an odd play, early Shakespeare; overrich with wordplay and banter (indeed it has the longest madeup word in the canon, ‘honorificabilitudinitatibus’.”
West End Best Friend: **** “If the setting convinces at the opening, as the all too familiar young men arrive with their baggage ready for a holiday, it starts to unravel when the plot complexities increase and there is talk of one-year stays or more, and banishment to the forest – not to mention the death of a King. The considerable programme notes suggest links with the Anthropocene and the Tech Bro-lebrity culture, which may not be realised to any great extent in the production, but this remains a colourful and entertaining romp for a summer evening.”
Theatre & Tonic: **** “If this 2024 Love’s Labour’s Lost is a precedent for what Tamara Harvey and Daniel Evans wish to bestow upon their RSC season, then it’s clear that the organisation is in safe hands with them at the helm, and in allowing fresh faces on stage and off to be given their RSC debuts, it gives a synergy that has felt so longed for.”
Stage Talk Magazine: **** “In a play that relies more on language than plot it seemed a shame that the youthful boisterousness of the men seemed to give rise to a competition to see who could say their lines the quickest. Attempting to sail serenely above the mele, Abiola Awokoniran’s king is a man, unsurprisingly hoist by his own petard, though never ruffled in his casual elegance. If there is a weakness in the production it is that the conclusion is all but prescribed and the tension between human aspiration and human weakness, which is the primum mobile of much comedy, is but a fleeting moment. The coolness of the ladies, led by the visiting Princess (Melanie-Joyce Bermudez) whilst provoked as a reaction to the bothersome boys, nevertheless hides a twinkle that is an unspoken code amongst the sisterhood.”
To find out more about the production and to book tickets visit: https://www.rsc.org.uk/loves-labours-lost