Anyone unfamiliar with Tabletop Shakespeare will be instantly struck by its unconventionality, and will continue to expect a twist back to the traditional. This does not play out, and what you see is what you get with whimsical Tabletop Shakespeare and its quirky narrator. Tabletop Shakespeare summarises Shakespearean plots, in this case Much Ado About Nothing, using everyday objects on a tabletop and infusing them with fresh, modern humour.

Here we have an extended dramatic monologue delivered in ironic deadpan. English humor winds its way throughout the play, and colloquial speech is omnipresent. The narrator is dynamic. True to the definition of a play, dialogic style serves a major function. At times it can be bizarrely touching – like the scene between Beatrice and Benedict – while other times it exaggerates in its literality. It is supremely funny, almost seeming to ironize descriptive secondary school essays. An intimate and casual atmosphere is created between the audience and the narrator. There is no melodrama, but rather a conversational report.

The linguistic element of Shakespeare is lost and all that remains is the skeleton of the plot, but that doesn’t negate that the play is entertaining. Tabletop Shakespeare’s take on Much Ado about Nothing doesn’t say much about the play itself, but is heartily entertaining for those familiar with the original. In fact, those particularly familiar with the original script will savor the jokes best. As for novices, the power of imagination is called into play.

Tabletop Shakespeare’s Much Ado about Nothing was met with excited applause, and novelty is always an impressive feat when it comes to a play interpreted so many times across time.

Shakespeare is by no means dead. Tabletop Shakespeare honours his legacy in the fashion of 2016, blending the skeleton of his work with the atmosphere of our era.