Dynamic Student Performance of Much Ado About Nothing

Creating a new angle on the classic Shakespeare play, students took to the main Atrium of the Performing Arts Building (PAB) last weekend to perform their unique rendition of Much Ado About Nothing, with singing, dancing, and a fair bit of running. The play is a comedy, and every decision made in this production supports that, with the music choices, props, and physical comedy often garnering the largest reactions from the audience on the PAB steps. The play was performed on November 4 and 5, with 7pm shows both days and a 2pm Sunday matinee on the 5.

Director and Producer Madi Coleman introduced the show, as well as gave space for one of the actors, Sterling Kennedy, to speak on behalf of Students for Justice in Palestine. After this Coleman talked more about the show, and said that her goal for any production she directs is to “find the version of this play that only these actors could make,” and emphasized that this show was a collective effort, with every actor being somehow involved in every scene, whether their character was in it or their ideas.

Much Ado About Nothing revolves around the romance between Hero [Tia Muehr] and Claudio [Cal Olcott], with interference and misleadings from Don John and conspirators, but the comedic characters of Benedick [Evan Heintz] and Beatrice [Rain Tronoski] steal the show with their back-and-forth romance and the meddlings of other characters orchestrating it. While the main plot was unchanged in this rendition, there were several notable additions to the classic play, such as when Don John [Leo Barnes] sings “Welcome to the Black Parade'' in a freeze-frame moment as Borachio [Sterling Kennedy] and Conrade [Bee Kim] dance behind them, as well as carting them on and off stage on a cushioned chair in a later scene. The cast was packed with Reed talent, including characters Don Pedro [Marina Bacon], Leonato [Daniel Yogi], Margaret [Melanie LeDrew], Verges [Aanika Doshi], Hugh Oatcake [Maddie Toppen], George Seacole [Bettina Broyles], and Sexton [Tori Boldt]. 

The use of physical comedy was especially impressive, not only in execution and timing but also in how it utilized the performing space. When Benedick goes through many obstacles to eavesdrop on a conversation about Beatrice, once the group knows he is listening, they make noises as if they are going to the third floor via the stairs, and a distant Benedick summons the PAB elevator to the third floor, only to come out and discover that the others have returned down to the first floor. Later, Benedick eavesdrops from a balcony so hard that his hat falls off his head from the second floor to the first. When it lands, he pulls out a fishing rod to retrieve his hat, all the while the conspirators he was listening in on converse as if nothing happened. “They really made full use of the space, especially for all the physical comedy they were doing,” said audience member Care Paden after the show, noting it was her favorite part.

The play was also full of music, from an early lip-synch number to a tap battle between the characters of Benedick and Beatrice, in the middle of a much larger dance scene where dialogue and choreography flowed together thanks to the choreography team of Madi Coleman, Evan Heintz, and Rain Tronoski. Another dance number performed was the waltz from La La Land by Claudio and Hero. While there was no movie magic to lift them off the ground, it was enchanting nonetheless. The use of props [Tori Boldt] and costumes [Maddie Toppen] was also notable, as it was very effective, especially considering the stage space was so open and there were no sets. There were fancy masquerade masks, marriage-funeral outfits, a tear-away t-shirt, and seemingly infinite energy in the cast to dash around the PAB in all of these outfits. The Prince’s Guard had shirts with their logo on the front, and “ASS” on the back, a reference to the scene in which Conrade calls Dogberry [Juniper White] an ass, where the shirts are revealed at the end of a monologue delivered well by Juniper White.

The show performed to a packed house both nights, and, with no ticket fees, some students elected to go multiple times. Each spot in the audience gave the viewer a different perspective on the play, as it was acted all around them, with actors on every staircase and level of the building, even while most of the show was concentrated on the central stage. Madi Coleman’s production of William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing was certainly not one to be missed. The play was a good reminder of how much students can do, an impressive twist on a classic, and a good laugh for all.