Much Ado About Nothing - National Theatre at Altrincham Garrick

LIVE theatre doesn’t get any better than this, which begs one question.

Why were there so few people at the Garrick’s screening of the NT’s thoroughly entertaining and uplifting production of Shakespeare’s comedy classic?

I counted just over 20 in the audience last week for a production that was so good it should have packed the place to the rafters.

This was a great way to introduce the unconverted to the work of this wonderful writer, for it was laugh out loud funny and not a single word was wasted by a cast dripping with talent on a mission to entertain.

Katherine Parkinson - pictured - and John Haffernan were an absolute treat as the unlikely lovers Beatrice and Benedick. While Parkinson will undoubtedly be a familiar face to fans of the sitcom The It Crowd, Haffernan also displays a sense of comic timing that’s second to none.

The decision to set this play in the 1930s, complete with a live swing band, also works perfectly and the stylish and elegant costumes were a feast for the eyes.

What an antidote this was to the miserable times in which we live, in which any happy endings seem at present just a pipe dream.

Utterly, utterly brilliant. Star rating - *****

Altrincham Garrick continues its season of play and show screenings with August Wilson’s Fences starring the mighty Denzel Washington on October 1.

National Theatre Live return with Jack Absolute Flies Again on October 9 and The Seagull November 20. Call 0161 928 1677 or visit www.altrinchamgarrick.co.uk to find out more.