Whenever I see a show at the RSC I try not to get too carried away by the typically terrific set design and concentrate instead on the quality of the drama. It’s impossible to do that with this latest adaptation of Shakespeare’s romantic comedy, because the costumes and staging are out of this world - in more ways than one.

The spectacular production is set in a futuristic Messina inspired by Afrofuturism and sci-fi, with riotously kaleidoscopic stage sets of lavish gold fountains, zany gardens and retro-space-age silhouettes by Jemima Robinson and similarly over-the-top costumes - more gold, as well as silver, glitter, plastic, straw, topiary and some extraordinary wigs - by Melissa Simon-Hartman, whose previous clients include Beyoncé and Notting Hill Carnival.

There’s more street cred with the original musical score - a heady mix of Afrobeat, R&B, soul and reggae performed by a terrific eight-piece band - by MOBO award-nominated guitarist Femi Temowo (whose previous collaborators include Amy Winehouse and The Roots), and director Roy Alexander Weise’s contemporary production also sees an element of character gender-swapping among the almost uniformly black cast.

The spectacular wardrobe, kitschy stage sets and funky music are undoubtedly the most memorable elements of the production, which contains some impressive set-pieces and a couple of standout performances by the supremely confident Ann Ogbomo (as the now female Don Pedra) and Luke Wilson (Benedick). The latter is especially impressive given he was a last-minute replacement for original lead Michael Balogun - but ultimately ends up being rather less than the sum of its albeit considerable parts.

Which is arguably because there are too many parts to a show that at well over three hours is at least 30 minutes too long. Some of those set-pieces - particularly the dazzling masked ball - more than merit extended stage time, but other scenes could easily have been trimmed of a little fat, not least the laborious subplot involving the clumsy constable Dogberry and his (or in this case her) watchmen, even though it drew laughs from the audience.

The ‘all mirth and no matter’ pantomime element also highlighted the disjointed nature of the production, which started off as a visual and musical feast but tended to lose its way the longer it went on - the musicians went awol for much of the second half, the drama never really materialised and the final scenes were played out against the least inspiring backdrop of the night. The lengthy running time almost certainly put paid to the rip-roaring musical finale that the audience (and cast) seemed prepared for but never materialised, and summed up a show that might be aesthetically fabulous but ultimately leaves you wanting something more.

Three stars

Reviewed by Steve Adams at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre on Saturday 19 February. Much Ado About Nothing continues to show at the theatre until 12 March.