This production of Much Ado is set in another period of deep division in our nation, the Civil War (though oddly the program lists the performance as taking place in Elizabethan era England), and even begins with some of the cast singing "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" (a song they return to periodically throughout the performance). A change in time period and place (in this case, from Sicily) necessitates some minor changes in the text, something I always have mixed feelings about (the "cinque-pace" becomes the "polka," and "the Great Cham's beard" becomes "Ulysses Grant's beard," and "tabor and the pipe" becomes "piano and the harp," for examples). Don Pedro (here renamed General Penn), Claudio (here Captain Claudio rather than Count Claudio) and Benedick (here Sergeant Benedick rather than Signior Benedick) are Union soldiers, with Don John on the side of the Confederacy ("John the bastard" becomes "John the rebel"). That heightens that sense of brother against brother that exists in the play, something that is talked about in any lesson on the Civil War, and perhaps gives Don John (Emoria Weidner) more reason for his hatred and villainy.
The two main relationships, however, are those between Beatrice (Willow Geer) and Benedick (Aaron Hendry), and Claudio (Kelvin Morales) and Hero (Audrey Forman), the first a couple that is playfully tricked into admitting their love for each other, the second a couple that is maliciously tricked into believing in one's infidelity to the other. The Beatrice/Benedick relationship is the one that audiences most often latch onto, in part because that is where most of the play's delightful humor lies. Willow Geer and Aaron Hendry deliver wonderful and often hilarious performances. Right from the start, Beatrice does a great job of showing her interest in Benedick while simultaneously expressing her distaste for him. And while she and Benedick speak center stage, Claudio and Hero clearly express love for each with looks from opposite ends of the stage. Claudio is quick to fall in love (and does so without any lines, not the easiest thing to get across), and is also later quick to believe the worst of his beloved, and shames her publicly. There are productions where Claudio is understandably not very likeable, but this Claudio is immediately endearing to us, which is important, so that we feel for him later. Both Kelvin Morales and Audrey Forman do remarkable jobs with roles that can sometimes feel secondary to the Beatrice and Benedick relationship. You might recall Kelvin Morales from his excellent work with the Independent Shakespeare Company (as Demetrius in 2023's Dream, as Malcolm in 2022's Macbeth, as Chiron in 2018's Titus Andronicus), and here he gives us a Claudio that we can't help but love. And we believe completely that he has fallen for Hero; we believe in love at first sight.
Of course it is the verbal sparring between Beatrice and Benedick that is the most enjoyable aspect of the play, and feels like the heart of the piece. Both characters love speaking, and appreciate others who also speak well, which is certainly part of their mutual attraction. Just listen to the way Benedick delivers the line "as being a professed tyrant to their sex," obviously taking great joy in his words. In their meaning, yes, but also in the words themselves. And that is a great deal of the joy for the audience as well. It is that, more than the physical comedy, that holds such appeal. Though, of course, there is plenty of wonderful physical comedy as well, particularly in the scenes where Benedick and Beatrice overhear their friends discussing how one loves the other. Benedick at first hides behind a plant at the gate, then, as he wants to better hear what is being said, moves the plant closer to the others. He then hides at the fountain, and even rolls off the stage in order to keep from being seen. The others watch all of his movements with delight. What is also wonderful about this scene is the way that Benedick turns to the audience at the end, his expression asking us to take his part before he delivers the line, "This can be no trick." His delivery of "will be horribly in love with her" is likewise hilarious. Beatrice, for her part, sneaks in from the woods off stage left, and is wonderful as she ducks down at the front of the stage. At one point, after unintentionally making a noise, she imitates the sound of a bird, just as Benedick had imitated a dog during his scene. Those little moments show that these two have more in common than they believe, a nice touch. Not only are Benedick and Beatrice excellent in their respective scenes, but those who are gulling them also excel here. Later, when Benedick says, "I am not as I have been," we hear the truth of those words in his delivery, the way his voice has changed. His voice changes again when he tells Beatrice, "I am engaged."
Gerald C. Rivers is fantastic as Dogberry, which probably comes as no surprise to anyone who saw him as Falstaff in The Merry Wives Of Windsor or Autolycus in last year's production of The Winter's Tale. He possesses a natural flair for comedy, and isn't just hilarious as Dogberry, but believable, his lines delivered with a certain dignity. It seems he even blushes when he says "If it pleases your worship to say so," pleased himself at being called tedious. Another of the production's strongest performances is that of Lynn Robert Berg as Don Pedro, here Major General Penn. His delivery of "Benedick is not the unhopefullest husband" is hilarious, the way he pauses before "unhopefullest," as if considering the most appropriate word to use there, and then choosing one that is barely a proper word at all. This is another role that does not often stand out, but Lynn Robert Berg does such a great job with it that the audience is drawn to him. When speaking to Don John, his delivery of "You know he does" shows that he knows his brother is not to be completely trusted. In that scene, he even grabs hold of Don John at one point. This is great because of course he should know his own brother, and it makes it all the harder on him when he learns that he's let his brother mislead him.
Claudio too is misled, and chooses to confront his bride in the ugliest, meanest way: at the altar on their wedding day, rather than before it, privately. Again, it's important that the audience truly likes Claudio early on, because otherwise this scene would be impossible for him to come back from. The reaction of Leonato (Tim Halligan) is excellent. Clearly he doesn't want to believe Claudio's accusation against his daughter, and we see the pain and sadness in his expression as it hits him that there might be truth in it. The Friar Francis of the text becomes Sister Frances (Shoshanna Green) in this production. For some reason, the advice offered by this character doesn't seem as believable coming from a nun as a priest, but then there is the added humor to her lines about concealing Hero in "some reclusive and religious life," since what she is suggesting is that Hero become a nun like her. Of course, it is all sorted out in the end. And these relationships - that between Beatrice and Benedick, and that between Claudio and Hero - give us some hope for the world at large, that problems can be worked out, that deception will be weeded out, that forgiveness is possible (though I do appreciate that Beatrice exhibits some remaining rancor toward Claudio at the end, as she forces him to his knees next to Hero). And there is the hope that everything will end with a dance.
This production of Much Ado About Nothing is directed by Ellen Geer, with costume design by A. Jeffrey Schoenberg, sound design by Lucas Fehring, and lighting design by Hayden Kirschbaum. There is one intermission, which comes at the end of Act III Scene ii. The play runs through September 13, 2025. Visit the theatre's website for the complete schedule. Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum is located at 1419 Topanga Canyon Blvd. in Topanga, California.
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