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Much Ado About Nothing |
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Author: William Shakespeare
Reviewer: Michael Bracken for Theatre Reviews Limited |
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They say there's a fine line between madness and genius, but the Aquila Theatre Company doesn't seem to be aware of any line at all. Aquila has had the genius to celebrate Shakespeare's madness and the madness to celebrate Shakespeare's genius with its witty production of "Much Ado about Nothing" at 45 Bleecker Street.
  
Or is it 45 Carnaby Street? This "Ado" is set in the swinging London of the sixties; in particular, the sixties television show ‘The Avengers." It turns out to be an inspired choice. Emma Peel and John Steed are not present, but their spirit certainly is as their prototypes Beatrice and Benedick verbally spar and come to realize their love for each other in spite of themselves. The play's other love story between Hero and Claudio works equally well in the world of intelligence and counterintelligence, with its villain Don John tricking Claudio into believing Hero has been unfaithful, only to have her honor restored after the bumbling Dogberry has apprehended one of Don John's operatives. The play is four hundred years old, but director Robert Richmond and producer Peter Meineck make it as fresh as if it were written yesterday. And the beauty of it is that in doing so they are truer to Shakespeare than many a so-called "faithful" production.
Let's be honest. As much as we may appreciate Shakespeare's brilliance, watching a production of one of his comedies that is weighted with the burden of being "Elizabethan" can be a ponderous experience. We may marvel at the language and the structure, but where are the laughs? A lot of humor can be lost over four centuries, but it's there to be found by the right director. And that's just what Robert Richmond does. Shakespeare didn't write very many stage directions, so Richmond makes up his own with a comic vengeance. And while he makes some judicious cuts and melds a few minor characters together, he is absolutely true not only to Shakespeare's madcap spirit but also to the beauty of his language.
Richmond's selection of the tongue in cheek, cloak and dagger world of pop culture espionage is the first step in making this production work so well. This is, after all, a play in which information and misinformation rule and are gained by eavesdropping, disguise, and deceit. But it is Mr. Richmond's follow-up, including a sharp eye for detail and an unwavering commitment to the milieu he has chosen, with all its paraphernalia, props, and costumes, that brings this production home. Like Shakespeare, he and his actors are always having fun, even in the throes of seemingly tragic circumstances.
Before a word has been spoken, Richmond has begun his conquest of the audience. In a vignette that borrows from "Batman," "Charlie's Angel's," and James Bond (as well as the ever-present "The Avengers"), his troupe cavorts around the stage to 60's spy music, silently miming a nonsensical spy caper and periodically freezing in the most unlikely poses. The men are dressed in black suits and derbies; the three women in sexy black jump suits with obvious but stylish platinum, ash blonde, and red wigs. The sequence ends with a "Mission Impossible" microfilm message replacing the traditional human messenger, telling Leonato of the imminent approach of Don Pedro and company.
And then we're off to the races. Leonato has a mechanical hand: he has to press a button give you a handshake. Don John enters in a Mini Cooper, a tiny, fun car that also serves as Beatrice's hideout when she overhears Hero and Margaret talk of Benedick's love for her. Benedick hides behind a newspaper when he overhears Claudio and the Prince talk of Beatrice's love for him. He's supposed to be in the arbor, so he shares the stage with four other actors behind newspapers, with each newspaper prominently displaying one letter of the word "ARBOR." Offstage actors remain visible and cock their heads when they are mentioned onstage. Onstage actors retreat upstage when other characters are the focus of attention.
But all of Richmond's clever visuals would be for naught if he hadn't coaxed such good performances from his actors. Shakespeare's barbs have never sounded as funny as they do in the mouths of Lisa Carter and Anthony Cochrane. With her perfectly coiffed platinum wig and perfectly painted scarlet lips, Ms. Carter shoots out insults like fireworks that hang in the air and dazzle us with Shakespeare's wit. And Mr. Cochrane, a little older and a little rounder than one might expect Benedick to be, is a perfect foil for her, not quite matching her artillery (nor should he) but finding the right balance of bravado and befuddlement. The rest of the cast also brings Shakespeare's words to life with marvelous style. In fact, style defines this production. Style ties together the fashionable costumes, colorful props, fine actors, and excellent script.
Shakespeare may be dead almost four hundred years, but he is alive and well at the Aquilla Theatre Company. Much ado should be made about this hugely entertaining mounting of a very funny play by the greatest writer in the English language. Clearly this company appreciates his greatness and chooses to celebrate, rather than embalm, it.
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Written by William Shakespeare; directed by Robert Richmond; costumes by Beau Brummel, Soho; lighting by Peter Meineck; production design by Peter Meineck and Robert Richmond; produced by Peter Meineck; presented by the Aquila Theatre Company.
WITH Alex Webb (Leonato), Shirleyann Kaladjian (Hero), Lisa Carter (Beatrice), Richard Willis (Don Pedro, Borachio), Anthony Cochrane (Benedick), Louis Butelli (Don John, Dogberry, Friar Francis), Nathan Flower (Claudio, Verges), Cameron Blair (Margaret).
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