Don’t be fooled by the title.
Much Ado About Nothing, playing outdoors this month at Saint Elizabeth University in Morris Township, is about something.
Lots of somethings, really.
As with everything Shakespeare, this romantic comedy can be appreciated on many levels.
On the surface, it’s a frothy romp, an Elizabethan sitcom with a pair of lovers who surmount colossal chicanery and epic misunderstandings to reach (one hopes) Happily Ever After.
Some very funny moments are provided by a bunch of cockeyed cops led by Dogberry, a master of malaprops played with gusto by Michael Stewart Allen, a veteran of this Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey company.
The production even mines laughs from the Greek amphitheater’s location, in the flight path of Morristown Airport.
All kidding aside, Much Ado questions relationships, and the recipe for true love.
The young nobleman Claudio (Christian Frost) becomes enraptured by the beauty and status of Hero (Fionna Robberson), and resolves to marry the maiden without bothering to get to know her first.
With no bonds of trust, Claudio easily is duped by scoundrels who besmirch Hero’s virtue, with near-disastrous consequences.
Shakespeare contrasts this with Benedick and Beatrice, prototypes for Sam and Diane centuries later in Cheers.
Benedick and Beatrice — famously portrayed by Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson in the 1993 film– insist they are not the marrying types. Certainly not with each other.
Jesmille Darbouze’s fiery Beatrice delights in bad-mouthing Benedick, a soldier with whom she has more than a passing acquaintance. This only confirms Benedick’s belief in bachelorhood, conveyed with swagger by the dashing Benjamin Eakeley.
But their jousting belies a passion that they come to realize via ruses hatched by matchmaking friends.
A common cause — restoring Hero’s honor — cements the bond they had been forging, unknowingly, all along.
Benedick and Beatrice. Claudio and Hero. Which couple has the best shot at marital bliss?
So there’s that.
This incarnation of Much Ado About Nothing also can be savored as a celebration.
A celebration of summer, a chance to make memories on a starry night, to warm you in the dead of winter.
And of 60 years of memories–including 20 summers outdoors–from the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, a star in our cultural firmament shining brightly again after the pandemic cloud.
And of a debut. Eleanor Holdridge, who has led two dozen Shakespeare plays, directs this 23-member cast in her first appearance at the STNJ.
Much Ado About Nothing?
Who knew a double-wedding cake could have so many layers.
Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare, directed by Eleanor Holdridge, is presented by The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey through July 31, 2022, at the Greek amphitheater at the University of Saint Elizabeth, 2 Convent Road, Morris Township. Tickets: $30-$45; age 17 and under, free; 973-408-5600.
