Theater Review: Much Ado About Nothing

by Jenni Stewart

If you are looking for Shakespeare that is engaging, fun, and easy to swallow, this is definitely a show you should not miss.

Much Ado About Nothing

Wed
Jul
25^th
8^PM

Samuell-Grand Amphitheatre
1500 Tenison Parkway, Dallas
Free
Age limit: All ages

If you were to close your eyes and listen you would never know that this show was being performed by high school students. Junior Players in conjunction with Shakespeare Dallas opened a highly stylized Asian twist on Much Ado about Nothing this week—and although the play is certainly youthful, there was nothing shallow about their interpretation.

The play, one of Shakespeare’s most popular comedies, follows the tale of Claudio and Hero, two young lovers who are betrothed. On the night of their wedding, tragedy strikes when the spoil-sport Don John deceives Claudio into believing Hero has been unfaithful to him. Meanwhile, the cast plots to bring together another couple- the consummate bachelor Benedick and the feminist Beatrice who both vow to never marry. Claudio and Hero are reunited by the clowns (who uncover Don John’s treachery), and Beatrice and Benedick swallow their pride and hook up as well.

Much Ado About Nothing

Photos by Teddy Ruge

(Click photo to see entire gallery)

Clowns: Ireti Ogun (Verges) and Samantha Erenberger (Dogberry)

The trick with changing the setting of a Shakespeare is staying true to the concept, which Director Valerie Hauss-Smith, the production team, and actors all did skillfully. The setting and lights were very Zen with a sparse, minimalist stage that became the perfect background for Bruce Coleman’s vibrant, anime-inspired costumes. The highlights of the play for me were those scenes where the huge ensemble took you through traditional martial arts training sessions, a rambunctious carnival complete with Chinese dragons and masks, and Balthazar’s (Raven Garcia) gorgeous solo. The kid can sing.

This show did not disappoint and provided many laugh-out-loud moments, beautiful movement pieces which broke up the monotony that Shakespearean text can fall into, and lots of clowning! The actors clearly understood everything they were saying which made it easy to sit back and enjoy the story.

Claudio (Ian Flanagan) and Hero (Emily Anderson) were the perfect sweet lovers while Benedick (Forrest McClain) and Beatrice (Angela Phillips) juxtaposed nicely as the witty, unruly, likely/unlikely pair. Leonato (Jasmine Martin) and Prince Pedro (Heather Sims) strongly guide the audience through the show and bring such a maturity to their parts that it is hard to believe they are just out of high school. Antonio (John Colgin) is usually good for a laugh and strong not-so-sly ninja entrances. The entire troupe of clowns and Don John (Veronica Vera) and his henchmen also deliver hilarious blow after blow.

If you are looking for Shakespeare that is engaging, fun, and easy to swallow this is definitely a show you should not miss. Pack your picnic baskets and blankets for a night under the stars. Much Ado about Nothing runs July 24-29 at the Samuell-Grand Park Amphitheatre. Performances begin at 8:15 and admission is free with a suggested donation of $7. For more info, call 214-526-4076. Gates open at 7:30 and parking is free.

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Anonymous

jefmelch, says:

Great show. My three kids, familiar with the Kenneth Branagh / Emma Thompson movie, were delighted to hear "new" lines that had been cut from the movie, presumably in the interests of time. The Junior Players instead delivered the material at a break neck clip that would have crippled the tongues of older actors -- without sacrificing any clarity or meaning.

We are all wondering, though -- are there so few males among the players that the male characters MUST be played by females? Or is this a deliberate and ironic twist on the Elizabethian practice of all male casts playing both male and female parts?

Anonymous

2 years, 4 months ago
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valeriehauss, says:

Thank you so much for your great comments on the show! I apologize for the delay in responding but I did take some time off after we closed the show at the end of July.

To answer your question, we did indeed present a Twelfth Night two years ago with specific cross-gender casting because we felt that it would be interesting to explore Olivia's language of romantic pursuit performed by a man and Count Orsino's longing love presented by a woman.

This year however, cross gender casting was not the focus.
I think that to answer you correctly I will also need to explain our casting process: Junior Players casts an ensemble of players at first (usually about 22-23 actors, although this year we had so many talented auditionners that we decided to cast an ensemble of 28).

The next step is a week long Shakespeare workshop where actors are taught how to approach the language (be it prose or verse), movement, breath, voice work, clowning, fight work if necessary. On that friday, they have a chance to present scenes from the play which they have worked on all week. Casting then has to take into account their work that week, their skill level, their grade, their physical capability in martial arts, as well as the essence of what the character needs.

Although it is true that we usually have more female auditionners than male, this fact did not really impact the way I cast the show. Clowns can be any gender in my opinion, they create their own world and take us on the journey. As far as the leading male roles, I was looking at the qualities that actors would bring to the character: in my opinion, Prince Pedro had to be regal yet accessible and a powerful martial arts fighter, Don John had to be his equivalent with a mean streak and a bit more pedestrian; the Friar needed an earthy quality, a voice that would bring reason back amongst chaos; and finally Leonato had to have a fun boisterous quality but should be able to turn at the drop of a hat into an outraged and shamed father. I think I definitely found what I was looking for in these lovely female actresses.

Once again, thank you for your comments on the show. We had a wonderful time creating it and we are very happy it was entertaining!

Best Regards! Valerie Hauss-Smith, Director Junior Players Much Ado About Night