Much Ado About Nothing

County Shakespeare Company at Waring House

Love is in the air, but so also are skullduggery and knavery, in the County Shakespeare Company’s production of Much Ado About Nothing, currently playing on the Théâtre Roulant stage at the Waring House. Company founder James Fraser, who both directs and acts in this production, says it’s his favourite Shakespeare play ever. “It’s a happy rom-com, and it’s just summery and full of love and clever wit,” he said. He is delighted to be able to work with Théâtre Roulant and offer the play in an outdoor setting. In fact, he said it was his experience last summer in a Théâtre Roulant production that reignited his passion for Shakespeare and led him to create the County Shakespeare Company. Earlier this year he directed Maureen Jennings’ Death in a Black Suit at the Waring House location and said it was a perfect venue for the current production. “It opens things up and gives a space where people can relax. There are lots of ways to play with the space, and it is lovely the real world is the scenery. It’s much better to have real trees than to have cardboard cutouts or painted trees. And the players are able to come out into the audience, especially in the party scene, where we want it to feel like a real party,” he said.

The cast in this play is a mix of new actors, experienced amateurs and professional players.

“It’s great to bring together a group like that and make it a fun learning experience for everyone,” said Mr. Fraser. One of the professional actors is Felicia Holmes, who plays the part of Hero, the young woman who is by turns wooed, spurned and then vindicated. Ms. Holmes is a professional Kingston-based actor who studied music theatre at Queen’s University. She comes to the company with a lot of experience, appearing in As You Like It and directing Twelfth Night. She said the role of Hero is a “dream role” for her. She has worked with Mr. Fraser in previous productions and he invited her to audition for this play. She said that while the meaning of Shakespeare’s language has changed over the centuries, her job as an actor is to make it accessible to a modern audience. “It’s going through the text the make sure that as an actor you know what you are speaking about, and then thinking about how you’re going to make this accessible to the audience of today. So if the imagery is light and positive, my voice goes up, and then when I’m talking about something that’s very dark or grounded, then I tend to speak low. I pay a lot of attention to Shakespeare’s punctuation. And sometimes in the text I try to find little moments that feel very much present day to me, and put that present day inflection on them,” she said. To help with some of the passages that would have had an obvious double meaning to a Shakespearean audience, the cast use some subtle body language to get the point across.

The play itself is an enjoyable romp that will leave you feeling “blithe and bonny”, and the cast assume their roles with enthusiasm—with the notable exception of Michael Code, who plays the scheming Don John with a seeming lassitude layered upon a bed of bilious venom. Ms. Holmes’s Hero is a bright and vivacious ingénue who finds her underlying steel as the play comes to its conclusion. Mr. Fraser and Jean Parker make up the duelling Benedick and Beatrice in their war of wits, as well also playing the bumbling lackwit pair of Verges and Dogberry. Love-struck Claudio is well played by James Tennant, who has to learn a hard but deserved lesson in humility. “The essence of this play is love, and for me, it’s that love conquers all. It doesn’t matter what you throw in its way, love will find a way through. As with any romantic comedy, it’s funny and love wins,” said Mr. Fraser. “I think that live theatre is vitally important. People love stories and storytelling. And I think that having a good laugh and being entertained is worth its weight in gold.” There are seven performances remaining between August 28 and September 5. For tickets and more information, please visit countyshakespearecompany.ca