 | Much Ado About Nothing |  |
"What, my dear Lady Disdain! are you yet living?" Act I, scene i
Written: 1599
Signal Ensemble Theatre ; August 23, 2003 Chicago, Illinois
Starring :
Reviewed on : 2003-08-25 13:59:34 ; Reviewed by : Margarete Mandry
| Signal Ensemble Theatre, at the Athenaeum
8/16/03 - 9/21/03
Directed by Ronan Marra
A charming performance of this funniest of Shakespeare comedies. Beatrice and Hero, two noblewomen of Italy, play hostesses to a visiting Prince and his military retinue. While Hero becomes engaged to Claudio (a singularly stupid creature), Beatrice and Benedick engage in witty repartee. Through trials and tribulations, the two couples finally end up successfully married, although why anyone would still love the feckless Claudio is beyond me.
Beatrice, played by Melanie Keller, and Benedick, played by Christopher Prentice, positively revel in their lush roles and the meaty lines they are given. Two of the most rewarding roles on the stage, these two actors do them full justice. The lines roll off their tongues and these two fine actors have thoroughly dug themselves into the characters.
Meredith Bell and Aaron Snook have the less thankful task of making Hero and Claudio seem other than the simpering simpletons these characters are. However, as Hero is a stock character, exhibiting as she does, feminine compliance and a purity/innocence in love, Ms. Bell allows Hero the full range of emotions. Mr. Snook gives Claudio an innocence and goofiness that make Claudio's volte-face the more shocking.
This performance also has the merit of being the first I've ever seen with a convincing Don John. No Keanu Reaves this— Charles Schoenherr plays the villain of the piece with fussy discontent and gives us a man frustrated since childhood in his quest to gain the wealth, position and respect that his brother so effortlessly achieves. In a few quick scenes, Mr. Schoenherr has shown the audience the development of Don John so that one can easily picture him pulling the wings off butterflies at age 10, then washing off the dirt that offends his sensibilities.
Another highlight of the performance is Brandon Bruce's absolutely scrumptious portrayal of Dogberry. Played with a revolting panache, this gleeful rendering of Dogberry does a great deal to erase the hideous memory of Michael Keaton's awful effort.
Finally, congratulations are to be offered to the set and costume designers, Nancy Freeman and Laura Dana respectively, for their clever use of textile and space. The minimalist set of screens is exactly right in serving as a backdrop that neither overwhelms nor distracts. Against this background, the 40's costumes hit exactly the right note; they are sumptuous yet simple in line, reflecting the directness of Beatrice and Benedick and their sensible outlook on life. Not only do the costumes accentuate the femininity of the female characters and flatter the actresses, they also allow for freedom of movement, implying that while Hero may have to sit back and wait, Beatrice wishes to take action. In this case it is not the clothing that hampers her, but rather society's rules of behaviour. After all, this play focuses on the dichotomy between steadfast conviction (action) and societal rules (inaction).
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Sir John Gilbert, R.A.,
Beatrice and Benedick
Reviews
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April 12, 2008 |  | Wide Eyed Productions
March 2, 2008 |  | Redshift Theatre at UH Arts
October 17, 2007 | | Pirate Utopia
November 15, 2006 |  | Stratford Festival of Canada
August 3, 2006 |  | Royal Shakespeare Company
May 22, 2006 |  | Chicago Shakespeare Theatre
December 19, 2005 |  | BBC TV
November 7, 2005 |  | Signal Ensemble Theatre
August 23, 2003 |  | Spandauer Sommerfestspiele
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