OVO’S MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING PLAY AT THE MINACK THEATRE REVIEW by gymforeverfrance age 12

The Theatre

The cast, the crew and the beautiful view

The Minack is not like any other theatre. The stage is built into a granite cliff with an amazing view of the clear, blue Atlantic Ocean in Cornwall. With its steep steps and stone seats I recommend a cushion to stay comfortable. Even though the Minack has a capacity of 800 people, it was still full when we went to watch Much Ado (in fact the tickets were sold out all week!).  So, if you don’t reserve a place it is very complicated to find a good seat.

The play

Beatrice & Benedick doing a funny dance

Much Ado about Nothing is a comedy by William Shakespeare. It was written more than 350 years before the year the OVO production was set in. The play is packed with tricks and the four main characters are: Beatrice [Faith Turner], Hero [Amy Connery], Benedick [Peter Bryans] and Claudio [Andy Margerison] who all fall in love in different ways. A comedy doesn’t necessarily mean it is funny – in Shakespeare’s time it meant a play with a happy ending – although the OVO actors made the audience laugh a lot! Most of the jokes were the arguments between Beatrice and Benedick who both say that they will never get married but actually they secretly love each other.

The OVO production

Leonata giving away her daughter, Hero, before the disastrous wedding – OVOtheatre/Flickr

In the remake, the play is set in 1959 in America. Placed at a diner called Leonata’s Bar & Grill which actually replaces Leonato’s mansion in the original version. Leonata [Anna Franklin] is not the only male character who becomes a female in the OVO play. There is also Don John who becomes the nasty Joanna [Lucy Crick] and Antonio who becomes Antonia [Jill Priest]. I think this change works well because the play is partly about the role of women and the director, Adam Nichols, is replacing men (who were more powerful in Shakespeare’s time) with powerful women making the play more modern.

Music and choreography

Joanna singing Devil in Disguise - OVOtheatre/Flickr

I thought the music, the songs and the choreography helped everyone understand the character’s emotions and feelings. The lively songs were all from the 1950s and all the dances were in time and varied. My favourite song was Devil in disguise sung by Joanna [Lucy Crick] and the cast, because it fitted her character perfectly:  the song says you shouldn’t trust her by what she sounds or looks like as she is actually bad.

Highlights

My favourite parts were when Beatrice [Faith Turner] and Benedick [Peter Bryans] are being tricked by their friends to make them realise that they love each other. 

Beatrice being tricked and pretending to be a mannequin - OVOtheatre/Flickr

When Benedick did a female voice while disguising himself as a waitress, everyone laughed because it was so funny, and Leonata [Anna Franklin] acted so well I couldn’t even tell if she was acting or genuinely laughing, especially because afterwards she snorted.

Benedick being tricked whilst ‘disguised’ as a waitress - OVOtheatre/Flickr

Worth the trip!

I travelled all the way from France to Cornwall to see this play but it was worth it because I loved it so much and I wish I could see it again. I can’t wait to see more of OVO’s plays.