Love’s Labour’s Lost – Thomas’s College

Tom Littler’s adaptation of ‘Love’s Labour’s Lost’ is an exceptional theatrical achievement: intelligent, technically accomplished and irresistibly entertaining. Presented by the Orange Tree Theatre and Guildford Shakespeare Company in the grounds of Thomas’s College, Richmond, this glorious open-air production demonstrates precisely how Shakespeare can be made contemporary, immediate and entirely accessible without sacrificing the richness of the original text.

The production is performed in repertory with ‘Much Ado About Nothing’, using the same company to connect the two comedies across six eventful years. Although the productions reward being seen together (this is highly recommended), they also stand independently.

Having recently played within the grounds of Braboeuf Manor in Guildford, the production feels entirely at home in its new Richmond setting. Littler relocates the action to the summer of 1939, where four young men retreat to the countryside and pledge themselves to study, only for the arrival of four women to expose the fragility of their resolve. The gathering threat of war lends unexpected poignancy to the play’s romantic games, particularly as its famously unresolved conclusion approaches.

Littler, serving as both Director and Adaptor, is something of a genius. His clever “stitching” of the two plays creates a sweeping narrative in which relationships established here continue into ‘Much Ado About Nothing’, yet the concept never overwhelms the comedy, and every piece of wordplay, physical direction and audience interaction is delivered with precision and infectious enthusiasm.

The ensemble of ten is without any other acceptable description, outstanding. Each performer is a master craftsperson, blending technical command of Shakespeare’s language with expert characterisation and an exhilarating sense of play. The entire company appears to relish every comic possibility, ensuring that even the play’s denser passages remain clear, energetic and engaging.

To highlight the crème de la crème, James Sheldon is simply superb as Benedick Berowne, whose comic timing, expressive physicality and ability to include the audience in every absurd revelation make him a true master of Shakespearean humour. Phoebe Pryce proves his perfect sparring partner as Beatrice Rosaline, matching Sheldon’s intelligence and wit while suggesting genuine feeling beneath the verbal games. Together, they illuminate the production whenever they share the stage.

Shakespearean veteran Sarah Gobran brings formidable authority to the Princess of France, she is strong, stoic and magnificently self-possessed, and command the stage while allowing flashes of warmth and vulnerability to emerge beneath the Princess’s composure. Her response to the play’s sudden change of tone is particularly affecting and handled with remarkable emotional restraint.

Owen Oakeshott is equally impressive as the Prince of Navarre, giving him a paternal air and understated comic instinct that lends both warmth and dignity to his leadership of the young men. Robin Simpson is delightfully extravagant as Don Adriano de Armado and displays expert physical comedy, with elaborate vocal flourishes and impeccable timing, he transforms the eccentric Spaniard into one of the production’s most memorable comic creations.

Neil Irish’s beautifully realised set and costumes give the evening a cinematic scale, making imaginative use of the college grounds and surrounding landscape, coupled with Matt Eaton’s extraordinary sound design that expands the world far beyond the immediate playing area. Eaton manages to create aircraft that pass overhead, while vehicles apparently arriving and disappearing into the distance. It is an expert lesson in surround sound, adding both spectacle and an ominous sense of history unfolding nearby. Matthew Floyd Jones’s excellent original score further enriches the atmosphere further, moving effortlessly between romance, comedy and approaching uncertainty.

Joyous, inventive and performed with tremendous skill, this is open-air Shakespeare of the highest order. Littler and his company have transformed one of Shakespeare’s more challenging comedies into an epic, deeply human and consistently hilarious theatrical experience. It is highly recommended summer viewing and one not to be missed. ‘Love’s Labour’s Lost’ continues its Orange Tree performance schedule through to 22^nd August 2026, and tickets can be purchased here: https://orangetreetheatre.co.uk/whats-on/

Reviewer: Alan Stuart Malin

Reviewed: 8^th August 2026

North West End UK Rating: