Between December 1953 and June 1955 Gielgud concentrated on directing and did not appear on stage. His productions ranged from a revival of "Charley's Aunt" with John Mills to "The Cherry Orchard" with Ffrangcon-Davies, and "Twelfth Night" with Olivier. His return to the stage was in a production of "King Lear", which was badly hampered by costumes and scenery by Isamu Noguchi that the critics found ludicrous. A revival of "Much Ado About Nothing" with Ashcroft in 1955 was much better received; in "The Manchester Guardian", Philip Hope-Wallace called it "Shakespearean comedy for once perfectly realised". In 1955 Gielgud made his second appearance in a film of Shakespeare, portraying Clarence in Olivier's "Richard III".