The curtain rises in Guildford to reveal a theatrical coup that is leaving audiences in awe – a daring double bill that reimagines two Shakespearean comedies as one epic tale, woven against the backdrop of war-torn Europe. Director Tom Littler has boldly stitched together 'Love's Labour's Lost' and 'Much Ado About Nothing', presenting them as a continuous narrative, set against the sombre realities of the Second World War.
This boundary-pushing production explores a tantalising scholarly hypothesis, first floated by HR Woudhuysen – that these two plays are, in fact, prequel and sequel. 'Love's Labour's Lost', traditionally ending with deferred marriages, finds a potential continuation in 'Much Ado About Nothing', which offers a gripping backstory to the fractious relationship between Beatrice and Benedick. Littler's production throws its weight behind the theory that a lost Shakespeare play, 'Love's Labour's Won', might be none other than 'Much Ado' – an idea supported by a subtle in-joke within 'Much Ado' itself about things becoming clearer "when you have seen the sequel."
The production, which premiered outdoors at Braboeuf Manor in Guildford before transferring to Thomas's College on Richmond Hill, merges the casts into 17 roles for just 10 actors. Characters who experienced love and loss on the eve of war in 'Love's Labour's Lost' reunite after the conflict in 1945, embodying the roles in 'Much Ado About Nothing'. For instance, Berowne and Dumain from the first play assume the forenames Benedick and Claudio in the second, while Rosaline and Katherine become Beatrice and Hero.
Littler's creative approach extends to the setting, with Neil Irish's harbour set featuring a boat and bar that serve multiple purposes across both dramas. While purists might quibble over textual alterations and character conflations, the director's cutting and stitching are elegantly executed, with most original lines preserved and continuity smoothed by subtle additions. The dramatic impact is significant, deepening both plays by providing a plausible backstory for Beatrice and Benedick's well-known animosity and placing the sometimes 'queasy psychology' of 'Much Ado', particularly the treatment of Hero, within the context of wartime trauma.
This ambitious co-production offers not only a fresh perspective on two of Shakespeare's comedies but also mounts a compelling argument for their interconnectedness – potentially reshaping how audiences perceive these enduring works. The blending of historical settings with classical texts creates a rich, resonant experience for theatregoers that will leave them talking long after the curtain falls.