Much Ado about Nothing can best be described as the original Romantic Comedy; a tale of two confirmed singletons who, despite their initial mutual dislike, find that they have a surprising amount in common and, after confronting a series of obstacles, happen to fall in love. Even though I’d never previously seen a performance of Much Ado, the ‘merry war’ between Beatrice and Benedick in Magdalene Drama Society’s production felt somehow familiar, because the tone of their witty repartee owes much to the screwball comedies of the 1930s and Hollywood rom-coms of the present day.

This production captures the play’s universal quality by staging it in an idyllic pastoral world which can’t quite be identified as any particular time or place. The simple costumes suggest a modern take on Edwardian fashion, and the deckchairs and colourful bunting adorning the trees are reminiscent of the 1950s. This aesthetic indeterminacy adds to the sense of timelessness that characterises the play; these could be any lovers, from Shakespeare’s London to 21stcentury Cambridge, and indeed Tom Stuchfield’s knowing delivery of the line, ‘a college full of wit-crackers cannot flout me out of my humour’ took on extra resonance considering that the play is staged in the beautiful Magdalene Fellows’ Gardens.

Any production of Much Ado about Nothing rests on the chemistry of its two central characters, and in this respect Catriona Stirling and Tom Stuchfield’s Beatrice and Benedick do not disappoint. Catriona and Tom are wonderfully charismatic as the fast-talking lovers, and the scene in which they finally confess their love for one another is a moment of heartfelt sincerity in the middle of a production which is often slightly tongue-in-cheek. Supporting performances from Elias Wynshaw as the hilarious drunkard Borachio and Daniel Leigh as the deliciously evil Don John deserve special mention, as does John King, whose performance as the lovesick Claudio manages to avoid coming across as cloying or overly sentimental, and instead achieves an endearing sense of earnestness.

Unfortunately, the actors seem to struggle with the transition from the sharp-tongued comedy of the play’s first half to the much darker and more emotionally-intense aspects of the second half, which felt slightly unconvincing in comparison to the breezy banter preceding it. Beatrice’s chilling command to Benedick to ‘kill Claudio’, which is often the emotional epicentre of the play, was here played for laughs, and highlighted this production’s reluctance to cross the boundary from comedy to near-tragedy. But the production’s strength is in its ability to make us laugh, and the gestures and facial expressions of the actors manage to tease out as much humour as possible from this 500 year old play. This Much Ado about Nothing is a sunny, light-hearted production, featuring some wonderful performances and delivering a very funny Shakespearean comedy.