Emma Hadley-Leonard, Sarah Bulmer, William Ross and Andrew Armfield. Photo © Rah Petherbridge

Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare – Dulwich Picture Gallery, Londom

This outdoor production of Much Ado, by genuinely itinerant cycling performers Handlebards, is a glimpse into the travelling player ethos that was most people’s experience of theatre in the pre-modern era. In rain – stair rods for about 15 minutes – the four performers worked tirelessly to maintain the energy, and keep the audience from walking away. They achieved this by turning Much Ado into a sort of clown show – like pantomime Shakespeare – with lots of physical comedy, general silliness, audience participation (the same two audience members were brought on stage repeatedly to fill in the character gaps, and to become a self-generating running gag), and musical interludes. On the surface Handlebards attitude is to take nothing seriously, and the darker moments of the play are certainly not to the forefront. However, their casual approach disguises serious skills. Their timing is impeccable when it matters, and provides a deep comedy well when it doesn’t. Their music-making – lute and ukele tunes and four-part harmony – is of a standard not many people could deliver in a rainstorm.

And Much Ado isn’t dumbed down. It’s simplified, but nothing important has gone missing. And it is communicated clearly, so no-one is in doubt about what is going on, rain and planes notwithstanding. There’s a lot to like here, particularly the four tireless performers who are constantly switching roles, playing voices while someone else does the hands, and generally rushing around. It’s a very enjoyable couple of hours.