Peace has broken out and soldiers from war under the command of Don Pedro arrive at the house of his friend Leonato to celebrate the new peace. Traveling with Don Pedro are his faithful friend and officers, the young and inexperienced Claudio and his best friend, the man with the ready quip, Benedick. Claudio is in love with Hero, the daughter of Leonato, but Benedick will have none of that. He can't stand the idea of marriage and complains to Claudio and Don Pedro that he would rather be hanged than suffer the indignation of marriage. As he goes on and on, Leonato's niece, Beatrice takes great pleasure in taking the wind of Benedick's sails and "they never meet but there's a skirmish of wit between them". Pedro, unconvinced that the pair hate each other, conspires with Leonato and his family to bring the pair together by having them overhear that they are actually in love with each other.
As Pedro plays Cupid the Love God, his brother Don John, who was on the losing side of the war, plots to undermine the upcoming nuptials of Claudio and Hero. Borachio, one John's men, hatches a plot to make Claudio and Don Pedro think that Hero has cheated on him leading to breaking up their wedding in a very dramatic fashion. Love goes temporarily off the rails as the budding romance of Benedick and Beatrice is interrupted and the future of Claudio and Hero is put in jeopardy. Will love triumph in the end and will the villainy of Don John be discovered especially with the half crazy police chief Dogberry and his inept cops on the case?
Director Scott Wentworth, who also plays Benedick in the show, has always loved the play and felt that the comedy makes a great production for a Christmas time presentation. "'Much Ado' is one of my favorite Shakespeares because of the size of the worlds it encompasses. There's the witty banter of Beatrice and Benedick, the various gulling scenes, the clowning of Dogberry and the Watch, but it also veers the closest to tragedy of any of the comedies in the Hero/Claudio wedding scene, as well as looking ahead to the late plays with the "resurrection" of Hero. It's a very rich play," said Wentworth.
The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey decided to update the action of the play from Shakespeare's era to the end of World War II and make the time of year, which is usually a summer time setting, to Christmas time. "[Its] has proved a lot of fun. By setting the story during our own festive holiday season, the songs, dances and masquerades become more immediate. The central event that starts the play is that the men are returning home to the women after a war and the story is how those men and women reintegrate; how the society reimagines itself in the spirit of celebration," said Wentworth.
"The notion of the military is, I think, crucial to any production of this play; the inevitable clash between love and honor. Our hope is that by portraying our soldiers as Americans returning from the Second World War, our audiences will have a clearer understanding of the bond that exists between men who have served together," he added.
The animosity of Benedick and Beatrice that serves as the driver for their witty banter and kick starts the play doesn't just come out of nowhere and Shakespeare drops several hints that the couple had a previous relationship. ‘He lent it me awhile; and I gave him use for it, a double heart for his single one' so says Beatrice as she laments for a moment on what she used to have with Benedick. Wentworth delved into the potential of this backstory in his scenes with Beatrice played by his wife Marion Adler. "Beatrice and Benedick are such great characters. In many ways they are very much alike. They both use their wit to create masks for themselves; an armour that needs to be stripped away so that their hearts can speak. There is certainly a shared past between them that has left them both suspicious of the other. In our production both Marion Adler, who plays Beatrice, and I are older than most traditional castings, and we have been married for twenty-eight years so that adds a certain weight to the characters' back story," Wentworth said.
In the large cast of plots and subplots there's more than doings of Benedick and Beatrice and Wentworth loves the tonal changes that run from farcical comedy of Dogberry to the high tragedy of Claudio and Hero's wedding scene and makes the play such a treat to act and direct and a thrill for audiences to watch. "One of the things I love about the play but it is always difficult to fully embrace the incredible scope of Shakespeare's vision. We just tried very hard as a company to tell the story that was right in front of us at any given moment; and if in the next moment the story veered 180 degrees in another direction, to commit just as fully to that. The play constantly turns on a dime, between scenes, yes, but also within scenes; sometimes with a single line. That is the play's structure and throughout rehearsal we worked continually to say yes to it," said Wentworth.
"I love it when the worlds collide. That Dogberry enters just after the Prince and Claudio have found out about Hero's "death"; that Beatrice and Benedick's tender and funny love scene goes from "I love you with so much of my heart that none is left to protest." to "Kill Claudio." in a single breath. That is amazing writing…it's a great way to spend a wintry evening (or matinee),"he added.
About Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey
The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey (formerly called "New Jersey Shakespeare Festival") is one of 25 professional theatres in the state. One of the leading Shakespeare theatres in the nation — serving 100,000 adults and children annually — it is New Jersey's only professional theatre company dedicated to Shakespeare's canon and other classic masterworks. Through its productions and education programs, the company strives to illuminate the universal and lasting relevance of the classics for contemporary audiences.
The company's dedication to the classics and commitment to excellence sets critical standards for the field. Under the leadership of artistic director Bonnie J. Monte since 1990, The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey continues to draw larger and larger audiences and garner unprecedented critical acclaim. Now in its 52nd season, it is the longest-running Shakespeare theatre on the east coast.
The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey
36 Madison Avenue, Madison, NJ
Remaining shows December 12-28
Tickets start at $32.00. For ticket information and available seating visit their site at http://shakespearenj.org/ or call 973-408-5600
Cast:
Marion Adler – Beatrice
Michael Stewart Allen – Don John
Jeffrey M. Bender – Dogberry
Austin Blunk – Borachio
James Costello – Messenger/1st Watch
Rachel Fox – Margaret/2nd Watch
John Hickok – Don Pedro
Travis Johnson – Conrad
Susan Maris – Hero
Conan McCarty – Verges
Victoria Nassif – Ursula/3rd Watch
Charles Pasternak – Claudio
Andy Paterson – Caroler/Friar Francis
Christie Sanders – Sexton/Caroler/Nun
Raphael Nash Thompson – Leonato
Scott Wentworth – Benedick
Creative team:
Directed by Scott Wentworth
Set Design by Michael Ganio
Lighting Design by Peter West
Costume Design by Candida Nichols
Sound Design by Steven L. Beckel
Songs Composed by Peter Foley
Production Stage Manager - Denise Cardarelli*
PHOTO: Marion Adler as Beatrice and Scott Wentworth as Benedick
