Betrayals, deceptions, mistaken identities and love and hate make for a night of light and delicious Shakespeare with ‘s production of
The Bard is no stranger to wordplay, and the cast of University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ students let the clever puns and double entendres roll off their tongues.
Director David Morden did not change the location of the story — it’s Messina, Italy — but he switched up the time to what appears to be the 1950s. We know that because of the hairstyles and the beautiful dresses that were full and swayed thanks to the crinoline skirts underneath (Barbara Pope designed the costumes). Otherwise, there’s no discerning reason for the time change. That’s not a complaint; we loved the costumes, though a few of the men’s uniforms were ill-fitted.
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The story is about a military group that takes refuge in the home of Leonata (Brooke Gorman), a well-respected noblewoman of Messina.
Benedick (Babacar Ba) and Claudio (Leland Hao) are two of the men who find romantic connections in the home of Leonata. Though this is Shakespeare: love is never that easy.
Beatrice (Sydney Townsend) is a sharp wit with little use for marriage or men. Benedick is the male version of her. It takes some serious manipulation to bring the two together.
It takes less manipulation to bring Claudio and Hero (Isabella Russo) together. But there are evil forces afoot to tear them apart.
All these hijinks reveal some serious sexism, more than a bit of misogyny, and lots of characters with ill intent. Oh, and lots and lots of laughs, as well.
Townsend showed pristine timing and a comedic flare in the role of the acid-tongue Beatrice. Ba’s mostly self-assured Benedick is just as quick with the barbs and he, too, embraced comedy with an ease. They begin by professing their serious dislike for each other. After some pushing and prodding and lying by friends, their feelings are reversed and the two actors made us believe the ridiculous set-up.
Hao’s Claudio is at first shy and reserved and needs help wooing Hero. But he switched to a cruel and judgmental man when he thinks Hero has betrayed him. Hao handled both sides of the character well.
Russo’s Hero is all innocence and forgiving. You kind of want to take her by the shoulders and say “look what he’s done to you.†But, as Shakespeare said in a different play, love is blind.
One of the minor characters is Dogberry, a sort of bumbling constable who longs to make a big impact, but her earnestness and malapropisms keep her from being taken too seriously. Isabella Santoni adopted a walk that resembled a prancing horse and made Dogberry’s rage even more unreasonable and laughable than the character was written. She saw to it that every moment she was on stage was a joy for the audience.
The whole cast embraced the language and the silliness, especially Ray Cuevas as Don Pedro, the leader of the military troupe; Gorman, who gave a gravitas to her Leonata, and Max Murray as the scheming and money-hungry Borachio.
This is the closing show for the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Repertory Theatre season and the last chance to see some graduating seniors on stage. Don’t miss it.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Repertory Theatre’s production of “Much Ado About Nothing†continues through Sunday, April 28, at the Marroney Theatre in the University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s Fine Arts Complex, East Speedway and North Park Avenue. Tickets are $32, with discounts available, at .
