The Castle Tour 2025
Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING – Shakespeare’s title is as witty and profound as the play it describes. Who is not at their most foolish when in love and at the same time suffers most pain? This sparkling comedy seems light as a feather until it plunges to earth and reveals the darker side of passion – treachery, jealousy and death itself overwhelm frivolity and tragedy threatens. Then Shakespeare changes gear and brings in the clowns – a magnificent gang of incompetent policemen save the day – and, with the aid of deception – love triumphs. This is probably Shakespeare’s finest comic plot and introduces two of his finest lovers: Benedict and Beatrice – each masters of wit who discover the limits of that wit. Here is Shakespeare’s genius – the play itself explores the boundaries of comedy while its two chief characters discover a depth of feeling beyond the dry humour with which they protect their hearts. Cupid triumphs with an arrow not a smile. Around the two famous lovers gather a lively crew of doting fathers, evil brothers, match-making noblemen, passionate girls and lascivious youths – not to mention bumbling policemen worthy of the Keystone cops and an evil villain who lies in order to destroy. A whirlwind of love turns into a whirlpool of violence and death. But all is redeemed and love triumphs. Was the story truly on of much ado about very little or is it revealed as a profound mirror of the most intense human experience: the giving of one to another?
The production is brought to you by TNT theatre Britain and ADG Europe who have been described by as “the best touring theatre company in the world” (China National TV). Their cycle of Shakespeare’s major plays, directed by Paul Stebbings, have been seen in over thirty countries on five continents. Recent productions include OTHELLO, MACBETH, HAMLET and A MIDSUMMER NIGHT´s DREAM. The plays always include live music, the score for MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING is adapted by Paul Flush and will mix Mozart with a dash of jazz. The style of production will be fast furious and funny, with a careful attention to poetry. The company aims to reveal Shakespeare not impose some artificial director’s interpretation – to elucidate this great play not drop it in some pointless setting or update what needs no modernising. This is the real thing – not a museum piece but a vibrant classic that stands the test of time.
TNT THEATRE was founded in 1980 by Paul Stebbings and other actors trained in the Grotowski method in Britain and Poland. TNT began its collaboration with The American Drama Group Europe and producer Grantly Marshall in 1993. Notable productions include BRAVE NEW WORLD, LORD OF THE FLIES, FAHRENHEIT 451, DEATH OF A SALESMAN, OLIVER TWIST and many of Shakespeare’s greatest plays including our recent award winning HAMLET, OTHELLO and TAMING OF THE SHREW. TNT has received regular funding from the British Council and the UK Arts Council and collaborated or co-produced with organisations such as the Athens Concert Hall (Megaron), The St Petersburg State Comedy Theatre (Akimov), Tams Theatre Munich and St Donats Arts Centre (Wales) and the current long term collaborations with Costa Rica’s Teatro Terruno (Café Britt) Milky Way Productions in Beijing and the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre.
TNT has toured from London to Hong Kong, from Guatemala to Tokyo, from Atlanta to Berlin in venues that range from village halls to opera houses and from castle ruins to National theatres. We borrow our motto from the great theatre director, Meyerhold: "Tragedy with a smile on its lips".
GERMANY:
Schloss Fasanerie, near Fulda; Kronberg Castle, northwest of Frankfurt; Laubach Castle, east of Giessen; Ammelshain Castle, near Leipzig; Friedrichsruh Castle, near Hamburg; Wallhausen, northwest of Bad Kreuznach; Weissenstein Castle, south of Bamberg; Zeil Castle, southwest of Memmingen; Steppberg Castle, west of Ingolstadt; Hohenzollern Castle, south of Tuebingen; Trausnitz Castle, in Landshut; Burghausen Castle, north of Salzburg; Dennenlohe Castle, south of Ansbach; Faber-Castell, near Nuremberg; Ebnet Castle, near Freiburg; Amerang Castle, north of Prien am Chiemsee; Fuggerhaus in Augsburg; Hohenschwangau Castle, near Fuessen; Heidelberg Castle; Mainau Castle, near Konstanz; Sigmarungen Castle, southeast of Albstadt; Brunnenhof der Residenz in Munich; or the Wuerzburg Residenz.
Other countries include Switzerland (Lenzburg Castle; Chillon Castle; Prangins Castle; Oberhofen Castle); Luxembourg (Bourglinster Chateau) Austria (Anif Castle); Norway (Oslo, Trondheim, Bergen); Sweden (Stockholm, Uppsala, Fjalkinge, Malmo); Denmark (Copenhagen); Belgium (Dilbeek); Netherlands (Eindhoven) and The United Kingdom (Peel Castle; Rushen Abbey; Castle Cornet, Guernsey; Mont Orgueil Castle in Jersey).
