The Marin Shakespeare Company has a long tradition of recontextualizing the Bard’s works – from Robert Currier’s The Merry Wives of Windsor in the free-love era of 1970s Marin County to James Dunn’s brilliant Wild West play The Taming of the Shrew. The tradition continues with the company’s current offering, Much Ado About Nothing, in a modern Florida beach venue.
Set designer Nina Ball, one of the Bay Area’s finest artists, must have spent some time in Florida – unusual for a Californian – because she gets the look and feel of the place just right, from the dingy bar pavilion to the dingy dive bar to the two-story stucco house (“Leo’s”) that serves as Leonato’s mansion in the new comedy. Cellphones, iPads and video footage find their way into the story, which runs through July 28 at the Dominican University of California’s Forest Meadows Amphitheater.
As unlikely as the beginning may be, the comedy begins with the invasion of Key West by a group of soldiers led by a charismatic officer named Don Pedro (Edward Neville). Fresh from victory, they announce their intention to spend a month at Leo’s, whose owner, Leonato (Victor Talmadge), has a daughter named Hero (Diyar Banna) and a niece named Beatrice (Bridgette Loriaux), both of marriageable age. Among the young ladies’ potential suitors are two of Don Pedro’s cronies, Claudio and Benedick (Tai White and Johnny Moreno).
Manipulative machinations by soldiers and locals drive the rather confusing plot of this popular play. It’s all too easy to confuse some of the characters – Beatrice and Hero, for example, are cousins and swap identities for parts of the story. Hero’s chambermaid Margaret, traditionally involved in some deception, was cut from this production, as were other minor characters in the script.
Marin Shakes’ production features ten actors, two of them in dual roles, but director Domenique Lozano draws energetic performances from the reduced cast. With clear diction, excellent timing and deft movement, Moreno is a standout in this cast, always on point and aware of both his fellow actors’ and the audience’s reactions. Loriaux is his equal as the dynamic and engaging Beatrice. White brings solid dramatic chops to the almost tragic role of Claudio, while Banna finds plenty of nuance as the mistreated hero.
Richard Pallaziol is a comedic delight as the perpetually confused Dogberry. He is also excellent in the uncredited role of the monk who oversees botched and/or consummated marriages. Keiko Shimosato Carreiro is an absolute hoot in her dual roles as Verges and Innogen. At times she barely has time for a quick costume change before storming back on stage.
Ben Euphrat’s sound design — including some well-recorded surf noises — carries the cast through the silly dance routines, and Rebecca Valentino’s period costumes add to the merriment. Set changes are minimal, which helps the show move along quickly. In some ways, this Much Ado About Nothing is a throwback to the old days of Shakespeare at Stinson Beach, and may not appeal to Shakespeare traditionalists. For everyone else, it’s guaranteed to be a good way to pass the time.
Barry Willis is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association and president of the SF Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle. He can be reached at [email protected]
When you go
What: “A lot of noise about nothing”
Where: Forest Meadows Amphitheater, Dominican University of California, 890 Belle Ave., San Rafael
When: Until July 28th; Thursdays to Saturdays 7:30 p.m.; Sundays 2:00 p.m.; no performance on July 4th
Permit: 15 to 40 US dollars
Information: 415-499-4485; marinshakespeare.org/tickets
Rating (out of five stars): ★★★★
