Much Ado About Nothing may be the most grounded of William Shakespeare's comedies, as there are no fairies and goddesses, no teenage lovers wandering off into the woods — just a pair of sweethearts who have been hurt too many times, and another pair for whom heartbreak is new. If you were to take this grounded comedy and set it in the scandalous world of reality television, where emotions run high and maturity levels are often called into question, what would the results be?
Director Jonathan Emerson tried to answer that very question with his production of the play that opened this past Thursday at the Bowne Street Community Church in Flushing for Queens Shakespeare, Inc. I wish I could tell you that Mr. Emerson's production was as grounded as the Shakespeare text, but sadly, it is not the case.
From start to finish, his reality-television-conceptualized production is more than a little confusing, with strokes that are very broad, but not very specific. Story and even technical issues, such as lighting the stage (although admittedly, the Bowne Street Community Church may not be the most ideal space for such a production) were mostly tossed out the window in favor of the reality television concept, which included two distracting cameramen who followed the action of each scene, but proved to be nothing but eyesores. It is a pity because even though Mr. Emerson's concept fell with a resounding thud, most of the members of his 15-person cast managed to play through the distractions and gave good, even great performances.
When Don Pedro of Arragon (a noble and commanding Zach Locuson) and his men return to Messina after the war (although they are dressed as if they are returning from a night of clubbing), they are received by the governor Leonato (the always genial and gregarious Timothy J. Cox) at his estate for a month of celebration and revels. Romance seems to be in the very air, and soon love blossoms for the young Count Claudio (a fantastic Daniel Koenig) and Hero (a rather bland and indifferent Maria Smith), Leonato’s daughter.
Article comments
1 - kikstad
Good review. I liked it more than you did (would love to hear what you think of my own review on Blogcritics) but you bring up some good points.
2 - Pat Mahoney
_____Perhaps Ms. Ellison would be best entertained if a binding law were enforced, that every Shakespeare production she attended, featured a cast clad in either period costume, or basic black, and recited their speeches like Eric Idle (spoofing Ian McKellen) reciting "Can you lend me fifty pounds to mend the shed?" (I realize Monty Python "text" is not easily accessible. Take my word, it is hilarious).
_____Yes, Emerson experimented. Yes, it was a shock to the system. But no, no, no, we cannot continue to churn out the same, the same, the same, drab and wordy productions of the Bard's plays.
_____If every treatment looks like an homage to the admittedly genius, but increasingly distant, Shakespeare, the new generations will stay by their tv's and eschew seeing anything with Will's name on it.
____I think new settings and exciting twists encourage theatergoers to revisit the "text" in their easy chairs after the show, with a Folger paperback, unlike the so-called movie "adaptations" like "She's the Man" or "O" which do not spark curiousity, but rather encourage a Cliffs-Notes approach to his works.
_____Playing Shakespeare as a series of eulogies and Oscar Wilde dinner party repartee will eventually lead to his complete disappearance from our stages and libraries.
_____Ms. Ellison's review was well-written, and I take no issue with her voicing her opinions. I do take exception with her seeming proposed solution to simply recycle Olivier, again and again.