When a golden wedding anniversary reunites the Randolph family on the eve of WWII, Dora and Charles must reckon with the adults their children have become. Their children, meanwhile, are haunted by the memory of the family they once were. As the weekend’s celebrations unfold, the family walks a tightrope between intimacy and estrangement, camaraderie and rivalry, love and hate. Heartbreaking and joyful, this captivating revival of Dodie Smith’s play is a moving dissection of family and what it means to grow up and return home.
In their dilapidated church headquarters, a dispirited cult awaits the sign to off themselves. Their hapless leader, Dave, concocts a plan: to quell infighting and give them purpose in life, he fakes a prophecy instructing them to make a movie and share their story with the world. They don't know the first thing about film production, but in making the movie the cult members find a uniting purpose. Then, just as they hit their stride, Dave receives a true prophecy. It's time for them to "exit."
Two young lovers, Claudio and Hero, are to be married imminently but the devious scheming of a resentful Prince looks set to thwart the nuptials. Meanwhile, marriage seems inconceivable for reluctant lovers Beatrice and Benedick whose endless witty sparring threatens to keep them apart forever. Directed by Josie Rourke, Artistic Director of the Donmar Warehouse, Much Ado About Nothing is one of Shakespeare’s great plays and reminds us all of the failings and triumphs of the human condition in our never ending search for perfect love.