How terribly exciting to be back on the scene. It’s been a long 18 months without theatre so we jumped at the chance on Friday evening to go to GOAT’s (The Great Open Air Theatre) production of William Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing” at The Great Northern.

The last time we were in this part of town, it was an empty amphitheatre bowl with a few lonely skateboarders.

The very organised production company were debating whether to move the production inside as it was a bit windy, but the show must go on and, as we are British, we stayed outside, sat on our cushions and settled down for the show.

It was a lively performance with the talented actors changing roles, gender and accents as often as they changed their costumes. The concept was brilliant by bringing a play within a play to the outside theatre in the middle of the city.

However, it did mean in parts the general hubbub of the city was overly noisy and some of the subtlety of the spoken words were a little lost. Even the appearance of naked cyclists, a hen party in full swing and overspill from the noisy bars surrounding the amphitheatre couldn’t put off the incredibly professional actors.

In fact, when the bride to be from the hen party in the nearby bar joined in with the wedding march that was part of the performance, it added to the hilarity.

The visual comedy of the performance worked much better as it was sometimes a little difficult to hear but it was a very enjoyable romp through one of Shakespeare’s most loved comedies with a few verses of “hey, nonny nonny!” along the way.

It was great fun for Shakespeare novices and experts alike. Definitely bring cushions or something soft to sit on and get into the spirit, don’t be shy and just enjoy the general shenanigans.

There are several productions in the GOAT series and we highly recommend you give them a try next time they are around. The ticket prices are on a “pay what you can basis” and the recommended minimum of £10 is definitely worth it.

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