I was lucky enough to see a brilliant production of Much Ado About Nothing at the Theatre Royal on London’s Drury Lane last weekend. It’s had lots of hype and 5-star reviews. When your two leads are Hayley Atwell and Tom Hiddleston (both of Marvel-movies fame) you’re going to get some attention! In this case the hype is fully deserved.

Production Design

The play was directed by Jamie Lloyd, who’s been making a name for himself with bold reimagining of classic plays. It’s fair to say he’s not worried about upsetting traditionalists. This Much Ado was no exception. There was a huge, blank open stage with an intermittent waterfall of pink confetti. The only real set was a gigantic pink heart which was in danger of suffocating Tom Hiddleston. Scenes were interspersed with a 90s dance soundtrack.

Takeaways

So what has this got to do with Powerpoint slides? Well, there’s a huge risk that the ‘fever dream’ qualities (to quote the Time Out reviewer) of the visuals and music could have distracted from the story. People would have been talking about the gimmicks rather than the characters.

In fact, I haven’t seen a clearer production of Much Ado. My children felt they understood every word of Shakespeare’s language. This was mainly through immaculate delivery. It was also through the use of big and bold design choices that amplified the drama.

Conclusion

So if you’re using visuals like Powerpoint, make sure they support the story you are telling rather than distract from it.

And if you’re in London and can get your hands on a ticket, go to see the show!