The West End's live adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing, directed by Jamie Lloyd, has embraced modern menswear trends, illustrating a departure from traditional costumes. Costumes designed by Soutra Gilmour incorporate vibrant, Hollywood-inspired styles that reflect a growing acceptance of boldness in male fashion, influenced by pop culture phenomena like Greta Gerwig's Barbie film. Gilmour emphasizes the importance of clothing that enhances the actor's presence rather than overpowering it, acknowledging a historical connection to how Shakespeare's original audiences saw fashion on stage, reinforcing the play's modern relevance and appeal.
Benedick in a bedazzled belt and matching sparkly shoes, Claudio clad in a gold lame cropped co-ord. Much Ado About Nothing may be more than 400 years old but Jamie Lloyd's current spin in London's West End plants it very much in the modern day.
Soutra Gilmour, the costume and set designer for Much Ado About Nothing, explains that men’s fashion has evolved into a modern era with more conscious body awareness and elevated textures.
Bridget Escolme suggests that Shakespeare's original audiences would have seen actors in the fashion of their day, making the modern costumes a form of contemporary homage.
Gilmour believes that on stage, the actors’ bodies are tools that need to be clothed in ways that elevate rather than obliterate them, enhancing their performance.
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