Discover what is being said about Jamie Lloyd’s production starring Tom Hiddleston and Hayley Atwell.
WhatsOnStage: ***** “The production is big, broad and for all its contemporary trimmings, absolutely Shakespearean in the way that it welcomes everyone into the entertainment. But it is also subtle, and very fine.”
The Guardian: ****** “Lloyd himself seems like the god of mischief in constructing this party of pink silliness. You would have to be a god of stone to not be seduced by its wacky winter joy. A wonderfully giddy thing indeed, and that is my conclusion.”
Time Out: ***** “And truly – it is very funny, it looks incredible, and if Lloyd has festooned it in millennial silliness then I guess what’s actually more significant is the way he, Hiddleston and Atwell have teased the Beatrice-Benedick romance into a poignant story about middle aged loneliness and being left behind as your friends settle.”
The Independent: **** “Hiddleston and Marvel co-star Hayley Atwell quip their way through this calculatedly naff Shakespeare revamp featuring Noughties pop ballads.”
The Standard: ***** “Atwell is simply magnificent, a beady tigress with quicksilver intelligence and manicured gold claws. At first I feared her glittery-jumpsuited Beatrice would be too venomous, her lines dripping with naked contempt. But she settles quickly and luxuriantly into the language and the physical abandon of the dancing. I’ve never heard Beatrice’s waspish banter better delivered – it makes you wish Atwell did more comedy – nor felt her rage so powerfully.”
The Telegraph: ***** “Hiddleston and Hayley Atwell are a hoot, gamely surrendering to the spirit of Jamie Lloyd’s bonkers production – pink confetti and all.”
The Arts Desk: ***** “Diamond-sharp banter and an endorphin fizz make this one of the best parties in town.”
The Stage: **** “Bright, bold and boisterous Shakespearean comedy from Jamie Lloyd, with tender performances from Hayley Atwell and Tom Hiddleston.”
Theatre Weekly: **** “Jamie Lloyd’s Much Ado About Nothing is a daring and inventive production that showcases Shakespeare through a modern lens. It won’t be for everyone; it’s desire to be a party piece leaves some aspects under explored and diminishes the emotional impact of others. Still, it remains an exhilarating theatrical experience anchored by stellar performances from its leads and ensemble.”
London Theatre.co.uk: ***** “A very game Hiddleston leans into the hamminess of the posturing Benedick, from his rock-star entrance amid a cloud of dry ice to his eyebrow-waggling audience flirtation (“I am loved of all ladies” indeed), madcap dad-dancing, or teasing of a buff chest by undoing his shirt buttons. The gulling scene is a total blast as he hides, unsuccessfully, in pink confetti, and even does a confetti spit take. Yet his eventual confession of love is stirringly sincere.”
The i Paper: **** “Gradually, however, the magnificence of Atwell and Hiddleston means that any lingering doubts melt away. They are both highly adept at playing to the audience, drawing spectators into a sense of complicity, which is no mean feat in this grandiose 2,000-seat theatre. Atwell beautifully suggests a heart heavy with hurt and loneliness under Beatrice’s witty and worldly demeanour, whereas Hiddleston is such a warm, open and intelligent performer that we cannot help but root for Benedick to stop mucking about and to declare his love properly.”
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