The obscure brilliance of Stratford Festival’s Much Ado About Nothing
Sparkling with wit, romance, and immeasurable talent, Much Ado About Nothing is a gem in this year’s Stratford Festival. Running since 1953, the Festival specializes in Shakespeare’s works (the town shares its name with the playwright’s birthplace) and the actors bring so much life to the 400-year-old plays that modern audiences can follow along with ease.
Much Ado About Nothing is no exception. Directed by Chris Abraham, Much Ado follows Hero (played by Allison Edwards-Crewe) and her betrothal to Claudio (Austin Eckert) which undergoes adversity due to slander and misunderstandings. Yet the real fire of the play is found in the characters of Beatrice (Hero’s cousin, played by Maev Beaty) and Benedick (Claudio’s best friend, played by Graham Abbey). Through a scheme orchestrated by their friends, the bitter rivals are manipulated into falling for each other despite former protestations.
Maev Beaty (left) as Beatrice and Graham Abbey as Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing. Stratford Festival 2023. Photo by David Hou.
This production’s portrayal of Beatrice and Benedick is notably different from what one would expect. In movies and theatre, the expectation is that the main love interests will be cast as conventionally attractive and played as conventionally charming. As they fall for each other, the audience inserts themselves vicariously into the relationship, also falling a little bit in love. Yet Beaty’s Beatrice and Abbey’s Benedick are not likely to evoke this level of attraction.
Maev Beaty as Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing. Stratford Festival 2023. Photo by David Hou.
Beaty plays Beatrice as sharp, boisterous, and thoroughly unladylike. She voices her opinions loudly and unapologetically, and makes no attempt to attract the eyes of men. Her quips become exaggerated and her mannerisms almost farcical. As a result, there is no pull for the audience ito view her as anything more than a spunky character to laugh with and at.
Likewise, Abbey portrays Benedick as charmless and eccentric. When he clumsily tries to impress Beatrice with pseudo-machismo, neither she nor the audience is moved to attraction. Instead of being romantic, this is an extremely funny scene due not only to his unfounded confidence but also the dramatic irony of knowing that Beatrice will soon have a change of heart.
Free from the need to appear attractive, Abbey can throw himself completely into physical comedy. Whether it is pouring water over himself in a would-be seductive manner or defenestrating from the second story of the set, his Benedick is more likely to make audience members laugh than swoon.
These characterizations are the crux of the production, yet the audience can only witness Beatrice and Benedick’s developing relationship without being included in it as the characters are too eccentric to be universally relatable. Although this portrayal distances the audience from conventional relatability or attraction, it also prompts a deeper reflection on the nature of love itself. Despite their idiosyncrasies, they share a peculiar weirdness that draws them together, representing a commentary not just on their individual characters but on the nature of love itself.
While the audience is unlikely to be able to relate to them, it is evident that they can relate completely to one another. In finding each other, they are finding the one other person who speaks their unique language. We may not long for the specific character of Beatrice and/or Benedick, but that is the point. Who doesn’t long to show their rawest and most genuine self and not only be loved, but understood?
Eckert and Edwards-Crewe provide the orthodox romantic duo as Claudio and Hero. They exude a charm and elegance that justifies their mutual attraction. Yet when contrasted against Beatrice and Benedick, Hero and Claudio’s romance appears lackluster. This juxtaposition is particularly fitting in the context of the source material: the ultimate trial in Claudio and Hero’s relationship occurs because the perfect image of Hero that Claudio creates in his head is shattered. So in a way, the Stratford production is inviting audiences to question whether they want genuine love – in the inscrutable style of Beatrice and Benedick – or the mere idea of it, as seen with Hero and Claudio.
“Thou and I are too wise to woo peaceably,” speaks Benedick, and it is precisely this messy, realistic and unpeaceable love that is so captivating. Media presents us every day with the Heros and Claudios of the world and their idealistic but brittle version of love. While this is appealing for the sake of escapism, the electric realism of Beatrice and Benedick urges us to rethink our ideas of love. Perhaps ingenuine perfection is not the gold standard of relationships. Perhaps we are all just looking for someone who is the same type of weird that we are.
From left: Allison Edwards-Crewe as Hero, Austin Eckert as Claudio, Patrick McManus as Leonato and Akosua Amo-Adem as Ursula in Much Ado About Nothing. Stratford Festival 2023. Photo by David Hou.
Stratford’s 2023 production of Much Ado About Nothing is an engaging and captivating must-see of the season. Akosua Amo-Adem is incredible in the oft-overlooked role of Ursula. George Meanwell plays the guitar, violin, and accordion onstage, providing a soundtrack more often associated with stage than screen. The set is a marvel of two storeys, a giant climbable tree, and a huge spinning ring light that adds an element of wonder. For those seeking an expertly produced and exquisitely performed version of Much Ado, this production is sufficient.
But for those brave enough to confront the core of love, the show is outstanding.
Much Ado About Nothing is playing at the Festival Theatre from until October 27, 2023. Tickets are available at www.stratfordfestival.ca.
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