Jamie Lloyd’s production of “Much Ado About Nothing” has been called “thoroughly weird and absolutely wonderful,” “ridiculous, ecstatic, hilarious” and a “frothy confection.” In anticipation of its Broadway transfer, the façade of the Winter Garden Theatre has been smothered in pink, and photos of the production feature an absolute explosion of fuchsia confetti, animal-costume heads and moshed dancing. And while it may seem from the outside like the hedonistic dance party of this “Much Ado” is a container applied to Shakespeare, producer-director Lloyd said his conceit derives directly from the Bard’s text.
“Anything that I do is always just an imaginative response to the piece I’m working on, whether that’s a play or a musical,” Lloyd told Broadway News. “If it’s a musical, I’m immersing myself in the score and listening to various cast recordings and letting my imagination run riot. With a play, you’re reading it again and again and again, and you’re looking for the clues.”
