Oh Joy! There is nothing better than a rollicking Shakespearean comedy done up to a “T” and Artistic Director Ellen Geer has delivers a smart Much Ado, featuring not one but two sets of star-crossed lovers set against — wait for it —! The Civil War!
It’s so much fun to watch this play spill over, around, and through Theatricum Botanicum’s broad stage, surrounding hills and dales and through the audience. Willow Geer as Beatrice and Aaron Hendry as Benedick hit all the notes as the most contrary lovers you’re apt to see. By contrast, the younger couple, Audrey Forman as Hero and Kelvin Morales as Claudio, serve as pawns to the dastardly dealings of Don John (Emoria Weidner) and her/their “confederates.”
But this would not be a Shakespeare comedy worthy of its name without the shenanigans of the malapropping Gerald C. Rivers as Dogberry with his bumbling band of watchmen. There is not a moment to lose as Major General Penn (Lynn Robert Berg) along with Leonato (Tim Halligan) whose daughter, Hero, and niece, Beatrice, form the heart of the “ado,” goes marching in. That’s when the Civil War theme is most potent, as “Johnny Comes Marching In” and other familiar music of that age reverberates through the glen.
Ellen Geer’s masterful production would not be possible without the technical staff that executes all six of this summer’s offerings with seamless skill. Most notably, we are indebted to costume designer A. Jeffrey Schoenberg for the scrumptious hoop skirts and detailed Civil War-era uniforms, with sound (Lucas Fehring), lighting (Hayden Kirschbaum) and properties (Carter Vickers) also masterfully designed. This production proves once again, that “the course of true love never did run smooth.” Oops. That’s the other play!
Much Ado About Nothing plays in repertory with Midsummer Night’s Dream and a host of 20th Century classics, through mid-September, and the full season ends October 17th at Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum, 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga 90290. TICKET PRICES run from $15-$64; Two Pay-What-You-Will performances for Much ado About Nothing: Thursday, July 31 and Monday, Sept. 8. For complete scheduled go online, www.theatricum.com. Purchase tickets there or phone the box office at 310-455-3723.
