Much To Say About Much Ado About Nothing
Posted on 20 February, 2010 | No Comments
By Beth Hoag
From the moment you step into the Playhouse Theater at Stephens College, you are transported directly into Shakespeare’s time. From the lavishly decorated sets, to the before show entertainment provided by minstrels (who will turn out later to be the character Dogberry and his band) Much Ado About Nothing embraces you with comedy from the very start.
All of the actors in this production right down to the smallest ensemble member helped to provide the audience with everything they needed to understand the difficult language. Most notable was the couple Benedick and Beatrice played by Dan Shultz and Sarah Pinzl. The couple fights constantly and therefore is destined to be together in the end. The two were both tremendous. Not only in saying every line to perfection, but adding just the right amount of physical movement and comedy, which is necessary for their characters.
One couldn’t seem to overlook the “James Franco-ish” Claudio played by Gabriel Di Chiara. He was more than convincing as the loveable hero male of the story. With every word he spoke, he won the hearts of most of the women in the audience.
However, with all of the exceptional acting, something could also be said for the extraordinary costuming. Each actor was dressed in complete period pieces, which somehow also related distinctly to their characters. This was most notable with Don John, the so-called villain of the story, and his band of followers, Conrade and Borachio. All three were dressed in similar clothing to the heroes of the story (Benedick and Claudio). However, while the hero’s outfits were lined with the noble color of blue, the villains had black instead.
Overall, the performance will keep you on your toes and laughing throughout.
Much Ado About Nothing runs at the Playhouse Theater on the Stephen’s College campus Feb 19-21, 26-27.
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