Love’s Labour’s Lost: Review

There are so many songs in this production, at times it seems like the characters barely have time to break into dialogue. This frantic take on Shakespeare’s romantic comedy takes a full-throttle approach to adaptation, with gags galore, pratfalls aplenty, manic costume changes, and bittersweet musings on the fate of the lovelorn. The comedy is as much physical as verbal and the cast relish any and every chance to strut their dance moves and burst off the stage (this is Shakespeare North after all).

Writers Elizabeth Godber and Nick Lane have transplanted the Bard’s tale of the King of Navarre and his three lords, bound together by a vow of chastity, to the heady and intoxicating island of Ibiza and a stag do. Ferdy (Ferdinand) and his two pals Long-Dumain and Berowne head off to the party island to stay with Armado, his father’s friend – but there is a catch: they must forswear any contact with women or forfeit a hefty fine.

They soon find out that in Ibiza this is easier said than done, especially since his fiancé Yvette and her hen do pals have been diverted there from their intended destination of Malaga. Trying to keep the two sets of partygoers apart, and the boys trying – and failing of course – to keep their vows of celibacy results in much hilarity and comic misunderstanding.

In a further twist to the plot, Armado (a tour de force performance by David Kirkbride) is desperately trying to woo the fitness instructor at the resort, Jaquenetta (Alice Imelda), and hires – or at least think he hires – a local hit woman named the Vixen to take out his long-suffering events man, Gary Costard. Confused? You will be.

As with the original, much of the comedy derives from the letters sent by various characters which inevitably end up with the wrong recipient, causing chaos and much comic effect. Watch out for the scene in which the ‘three Chers’ perform, truly unforgettable.

Of course, it all works out in the end and the finale sees the marriage of Ferdy (Tim Lucas) and Yvette (Annie Kirkman), and as with all weddings it’s the night do which takes centre stage: the cast break out into a medley of classic pop tunes – including the Spice Girls – to send everyone off into the night with a beaming smile on their face. For those of a certain age to remember, even Blind Date makes a surprise appearance.

The show is unapologetically daft and plays each scene for laughs, much to the delight of the audience. There are some fine performances: Tim Lucas proves himself to have a powerful voice, Alice Imelda as the Spanish dance instructor and Mary-Kate brings a deft touch to her roles, and Thomas Cotran reviews the ghost of Manuel from Fawlty Towers when he takes on the role of Spanish policeman Dull, one of the funniest turns of the evening.

The last word, however, must go to David Kirkbride whose manic energy propels him around the stage: when he comes on in disguise as a Texan cowboy towards the end, it seems we’ve left reality for something infinitely more enjoyable.

Love’s Labour’s Lost is at Shakespeare North Playhouse from 4 – 22 March 2025.