While Hero (Nadi Kemp-Sayfi) and Claudio (Patrick Osborne) may be the intended central romance, Beatrice (Lucy Phelps) and her counterpart Benedick (Ralph Davis) can’t help but steal the audiences attention and hearts. Through witty wordplay and a chaotic attempts to conceal their true feelings — including an instance where Beatrice ends up tangled in a badminton net and Claudio barely evades the gardners snipping shears as he scales the estate to eavesdrop — Phelps and Davis hold undeniable on-stage chemistry til the very end.

Things take a darker turn when villian Don Jon, bastard brother of Don Pedro, hatches a plan to taint Hero’s honor by convincing Claudio that she has been disloyal. This is particularly significant due to the setting: Up until 1981, Italy’s penal code gave special status to delitto d’onore, or honor killings, meaning that there was extreme leniency in judging the killings of female family members who had affairs. While the settings are centuries and countries apart, Bailey’s adaptation brings to light a similarity in the unjust treatment of women. This tension plays itself out after the interval when Claudio leaves Hero for dead at the alter upon catching rumor of her infidelity. 

While Beatrice’s wittiness and cynicism are expertly presented in Shakespeare’s design, Lucy Phelps’ most outstanding performance is her defense of Hero: “Oh, on my soul, my cousin is belied!” she cries out upon hearing the slander on her Hero’s name. The audience gets a peak into the warmth behind her cold exterior as she works tirelessly to clear her cousin’s name, even going as far as to ask Benedick to kill Claudio.

Bailey makes a noteworthy choice to switch father figures Leonato and Antonio to women, Leonata and Antonia. Leonata originally grieves her daughter’s infidelity, going so far as to wish her death, but minutes later she is is quick to defend Hero’s honor alongside Antonia: armed with shears and a pitchfork, the two women keep their physical and mental distance from Claudio and Don Pedro’s harsh words. There’s a strength in the portrayal of an all-female family that a cast of daughters and fathers simply wouldn’t be able to capture. 

From chaotic food fights during the lawn dinner to a ‘masked ball’ with animal heads, Bailey’s non-traditional play doesn’t fail to surprise and elicit reactions from a delighted audience. With rich scenery and costuming, strongly-portrayed female leads, and a happy ending, Much Ado About Nothing is one to catch before The Globe’s summer season is over.