Much Ado About Nothing

This rock adaptation of Shakespeare’s comedy has a very clever concept that gives the performance a wonderfully frivolous context in line with the mood of the play. The rock bands “The Babes of Disdain” and “Benedick and the Love Gods” are pitted against one another as the source of the battle of the sexes. The humour generated from the parody captures the spirit of the play well and has shades of the 1984 rockumentary This is Spinal Tap (Rob Reiner). Dogberry (Madeline Somers) and Verges (Tony Rive), who are cast as roadies, seem to have walked directly off the film set. They create a great opening to the show and this locks in a very humorous tone. The musical rivalry, however, takes second place to the romantic shenanigans that characterise this story.

The vibrant and bold costuming is clever and amusingly evokes a sense of an aging rock culture well. However, there are times when the costume choices and staging appear somewhat bemusing. The scene of the masked ball proves to be confusing in terms of setting up some important narrative elements but also in its approach. The country and western theme for the ball works well as a striking contrast to the rock culture, but the contrast seems to clash with the rest of the play. There is more detail in this scene than the performance can adequately develop or that the audience has time to process. The incorporation of song and dance undoubtedly adds a great deal of value to the play, but this has required significant adaptation of the text which sometimes comes at the expense of the cohesion of the narrative. 

The beautifully delivered songs focus on allowing for a much greater exploration of the emotional state of the key characters. The numbers are all perfectly executed, and the vocals provide a strong soundtrack to the story. The two couples, Benedick (Nicholas Gell) & Beatrice (Anna Burgess) and Hero (Larissa Teale) & Claudio (Alex Cooper), are appropriately positioned and featured as the stars of the show. This is especially evident in the crucial dramatic wedding scene where they effectively make the dramatic shift from comedy to tragedy, clearly showcasing their talent. The entire cast is very strong and all deliver very solid performances. Overall, this delightful outdoor production offers an evocative setting and provides a great opportunity to enjoy the musical elements inherent in this play.

Patricia Di Risio 

Photographer: Ben Fon