Review: Tom Hiddleston’s CBeebies Shakespeare is a waste of space hopper

What would Shakespeare make of Jamie Lloyd’s production of Much Ado About Nothing?

I guess he would be happy that it’s putting a lot of bums on seats at the vast Theatre Royal Drury Lane, but, other than that, I think he would wonder if it had any more than a nodding acquaintance with what he originally wrote.

Of course, this is one of Shakespeare’s plays where it is kind of allowed for directors to go a bit mad – I think of Franco Zeffirelli’s celebrated 1965 production with Maggie Smith, Robert Stephens and Derek Jacobi – but this time around Lloyd has managed to turn the whole thing into what feels like a witless CBeebies extravaganza.

Even Shakespeare would see that it’s Tom Hiddleston – playing Benedict – who is putting the bums on the seats rather than his own quill. Hiddleston showboats his way through the proceedings, winking and flirting with the audience, and, at the end of the first night, felt so pleased with himself he actively encouraged the punters to stand up and give him a standing ovation.

Hayley Atwell acquits herself with more dignity as Beatrice – a serious actress, when she puts her mind to it and gets the chance – but the abiding image for me of this fatuous production was Hiddleston disappearing into what could only be described as a giant inflatable space hopper.

Much Ado About Nothing plays at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane until April 5.