Much Ado About Nothing: (Patrick Doyle) Four years after their successful cinematic debut in Henry V, director\u002Factor Kenneth Branagh and composer Patrick Doyle would return for a second Shakespearian adaptation, Much Ado About Nothing. Met with enthusiasm by audiences, and affirming the renaissance of Shakespearian stories on the big screen in the 1990's, Much Ado About Nothing is one of the author's most jubilant comedies, typical in its hilarious battles between the sexes, mistaken identities, and storybook ending, but benefiting from an especially sharp wit above and beyond many of Shakespeare's stereotypically light-hearted, fluffy circuses. Among the film's strengths were a phenomenal acting ensemble (including non-Shakespearian actors Denzel Washington, Michael Keaton, and Kate Beckinsale, though most would agree that Keanu Reeves was out of place), as well as its ability to learn Pat Doyle's songs quickly enough to sing them on the fly during production. Once again significantly involved with the project during its shooting, Doyle would not only appear as a solo vocalist in the film, but also worked with Branagh in altering his themes to better fit scenes while located on the set. The resulting score has been highly acclaimed through the years, with some Doyle collectors considering it to be among the composer's very best efforts. It's a score that floats above the film with a whimsy, orchestrally buoyant and exuberant in such a flighty fashion that its fairy tale ending is never in doubt. Doyle's approach to taking us on this sunny journey involves his identification of the two sexes as the inspiration for the score's two primary themes. As with any Shakespearian comedy, several duos run in circles of flirtation, lies, and misunderstandings, with several predictable marriages resulting at the end. Fluttering about these proceedings is the interaction between Doyle's two themes for Much Ado About Nothing. Both themes receive fanfare and song performances, with the martial male theme performed in chorus in Pardon Goddess of the Night and Doyle himself more prominently performing the female theme in a courtyard in Sigh No More Ladies.