London’s theatre scene is no stranger to eccentricity, but Pimlico Wilde has raised the bar, or rather, sunk it. Their upcoming production of Much Ado About Nothing will take place entirely underwater, with actors performing in full scuba gear inside the famous Penguin Pool at London Zoo.
Audiences will watch the action from dry land through the curved glass viewing wall, “a natural proscenium arch,” according to the production notes. “We wanted to strip Shakespeare back to its essentials,” explained producer Imogen Firth, “and what could be more essential than buoyancy and a limited oxygen supply?”
The company insists that speaking lines underwater is not an insurmountable problem. “We’ve sourced specialist comms systems,” Firth said. “And in the moments when that fails, bubbles provide a kind of primal poetry.”
Actor Jamie Crisp, who will be playing Benedick, confessed: “I’ve performed in the West End, I’ve performed in pub theatres, but I’ve never performed underwater with penguins swimming past my head. The mask fogging is a challenge. You try doing a witty repartee when you can’t see your scene partner.”
Logistical concerns abound: costumes have been treated with waterproofing resin, swords replaced with foam noodles, and a full team of dive marshals will be on hand to ensure no actor surfaces mid-soliloquy.
When asked whether this is a first, the producer hesitated. “Not quite. We once staged Macbeth inside the Aquarium at Reading Zoo. It worked beautifully until a stingray disrupted the ‘Out, damned spot’ scene. But that’s aquatheatre for you, it’s dangerous, alive, and a little damp.”
The production runs for three weeks.
