Much Ado about Nothing
by William Shakespeare
Georgia Shakespeare Festival, Atlanta
(in repertory through August, Year 3, with The School for Wives and Cymbeline)
Top Ten Reasons People Speak Slowly in Shakespeare Plays
10. Get paid by the hour
9. Love that old "Do, be, do, be, do" gag
8. Don't believe in ghosts (Julius Caesar only)
7. Not sure they're in the right scene—does Puck die in Act 1 or 2?
6. Kids in the audience need the extra hour of naptime
5. Can't stop thinking about the lyrics to "Modern Major-General"
4. Addictive personalities like Falstaff should get counseling, not laughs
3. Want to be sure you can tell "doth" and "dost" apart
2. Fear audience won't understand the pie contains Tamara's sons
1. Two words: Fairy dust
One of the finest evenings I ever spent in a theater was at the Alliance Theater watching Kenny Leon's production of Medea with Phylicia Rashad. (I mean she was in it, not that we went together. Ba-dum-PUM.) Leon studied the piece until he understood what's "theatrical" in it, what works on stage today exactly as it worked 3000 years ago, and that's what he gave us. Pity and terror, Aristotle said, not recitations and authentic masks. We never forgot that these were figures from ancient Greece, but we didn't have to strain to understand a chorus waving little tufts of wool at the tyrant either. Brilliant work.
For his first directing gig at Georgia Shakespeare, Leon did the same study of Much Ado and found the same theatricality in a play that sometimes vexes artists and audiences. He again gave us a production that was way above average.
It's a double comedy; one plot (Hero and Claudio) uses the "betrayed lady" convention while the other (Beatrice and Benedick) is a mismatched-couple classic. It has a Menace (Don John), a Noble Figurehead (Don Pedro) and a Clown (Dogberry). It seems to last for days, at least a Monday and half of Tuesday while Don John explains the depth of his villainy plus a solid midweek of Dogberry giving orders to the Watch. The word "convey" springs to the lips.
That's the usual way. Leon's way is to speed everyone up, leave much of the sorting-out work to the audience, and get the lovers together in the finest tradition of comedy (i.e., weddings all around). While saving time, he allowed the cast to focus on economical development of their characters. And he cast well (so often the key to good work). The result was a show with some brilliance and few weaknesses.
Much as I've enjoyed the work of Chris Kayser and Carolyn Cook (Benedick and Beatrice) over the years, I had more fun watching them in Much Ado than I ever have. Kayser was in good voice and had his dancer's moves all working, but I think what set this performance apart for him was the tightness of his focus. Benedick reacts (to teasing, praise, a challenge to honor), and often he seems to be following the action; Kayser made things happen, and at times, as in the scene where he kicks sand in Claudio's face, he did it by standing stock still and forcing everyone else to revolve around him. In Cook's performance, the driving character of Beatrice was able to receive action too; her wits never escaped her, but Cook tempered Bea's need to dominate every scene. It was a treat to see the two of them trading insults, then watch precisely the same timing produce a shock in the line, "Kill Claudio," and Benedick's stymied reaction. The simplest line in the play and, this night, the most arresting.
I have to mention another GSF veteran, John Ammerman, who played Dogberry. He was funny. That doesn't seem much of a compliment, but if you've seen other productions of Much Ado you know what a rare one it is. Ammerman knows you don't need "nudge nudge" if you make certain the audience sees what you're about. A good performance in a part that's usually considered "thankless" because no one thanks the actor for stopping the show dead. (No one much minds if the show pauses for a quick round of applause as it did at the end of Dogberry's scene this night.)
I rank Much Ado first of the three GSF shows this summer. As a Kenny Leon fan, I hope he'll come back in future seasons.
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Much Ado about Nothing