Much Ado About Nothing
From the Playbill – Director’s Notes:
For our sixth season we have chosen a duet of delights
which impressively demonstrate the extremes of Shakespeare’s
range and talent. From a drizzly grey stone and concrete
castle in England to a warm and sunny terra cotta villa
in Sicily, the settings reflect the widely divergent
stories. Is it possible that the same hand that penned
the monstrous villainy of Richard of Gloucester could
create the exquisitely frothy Much Ado? It’s
as wondrous as if Bertoldt Brecht and Noel Coward were
rolled into one….
And how lucky we are to have
the likes of Ken Grantham and Kimberly King! Energy
is delight and accomplished dexterity a pleasure to
watch. Our Beatrice and Benedick have both, as does
the wonderfully silly Danny Kovacs, who plays the
superbly stupid Dogberry, the bumbling, vastly self-important
constable of the watch who, in the end, roots out
all evil and brings peace. So sit back, relax, and
forget about Bosnia and global warming for this two
hour respite on our stage. For it is precisely because
the world we live in is stressful and dire that Shakespeare’s
comedies are such a welcome and necessary counterbalance.”
What the Critics
Said:
“Marin’s Much Ado is a classy production.
Marin Shakespeare Festival’s production of Much
Ado is not for purists. Indeed, it is well-stocked
with the signature shtick of artistic director Robert
Currier – neurotic tics, absurd posturing, running
gags, cosmic interference, and anachronistic music.
But for us ‘groundlings,’ all this ‘ado’ adds an entertaining
dimension….The production is most accessible, and
the laughs start early…While all of the acting is
worthy of note, Much Ado belongs to Beatrice
and Benedick….Four stars to Kimberly King and Ken
Grantham for stellar performances.”
Roberta Floden, Marin Independent Journal
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