'Much Ado About Nothing' at the Ohio Shakespeare Festival is a Summertime Theatrical Treat

Back when Seinfeld was on the tee-vee every week, Jerry and the other creators took pride in claiming that their show "was about nothing." They tried to convince us it was unique when, in fact, they got beat by that old scamp Will Shakespeare and his delightful comedy Much Ado About Nothing.

In this production at the Ohio Shakespeare Festival under the direction of Nancy Cates, its two major plotlines diverge in entertainment value. On one hand, Don Pedro the Prince of Arragon has recently returned to Messina, Sicily at the invitation of Governor Leonata after defeating his illegitimate brother Don John (Mark Stoffer) on the battlefield. But the Dons have (apparently)reconciled. Meanwhile the nobleman Count Claudio, a member of Don Pedro's army, falls in love with Hero (Kelsey Tomlinson), Leonata's daughter, whom Don Pedro volunteers to court on his soldier's behalf.

Derick Winger gives a sharp portrayal as Don Pedro, and Holly Humes makes Leonata a force all her own. But the yarn involving Don John's nasty deceptions unravels due to a weak performance at the core of the story. As Claudio, Christian Achkar strikes a noble pose and a strong profile, but he often disappears due to a general lack of vocal heft and a tendency to let his energy dissipate at the ends of his sentences.

But worry not, because here come the Battling B's, Beatrice and Benedick as performed by the dynamic duo of Tess Burgler and Geoff Knox. Among Shakespeare's galaxy of talents as a writer, one of his strongest is the ability to pen incisive insults and put-downs. And they are on fully delicious display as these two veteran OSF actors cut each other down to size on their characters' inevitable route to love.

To wit, here's Benedick on a possible relationship with Beatrice: "So some gentleman or other shall 'scape a predestinate scratched face." And Beatrice replies: "Scratching could not make it worse, an 'twere such a face as yours." That's mic-drop stuff in the 16th century, and damn funny as performed by Knox and Burgler.

This lovingly snarky banter is much more diverting than the complicated skullduggery involving Don Pedro wooing the beauteous Hero on behalf of his pal Claudio. The result is an Ado filled with laughter in the first act while the second act limps to the finish line.

A comic subplot involving Constable Dogberry and his clueless band of deputies offers some amusing relief, with Ryan Zarecki working hard (and at times a bit too hard) as Dogberry. This expert at stage fighting regularly attacks each of his lines like a foe to be defeated, and that can grow tiresome.

Along the way, director Cates add some juicy stage business including Benedick hanging by his fingers from the balcony and Beatrice dunking herself in the fountain on stage (yes, she's soaked). Ultimately, the two stories converge when Don Pedro, Hero and others scheme to bring B-and-B together before a miraculous ending sends everyone off hugging and singing.

While there are lovely theater spaces throughout the northeast Ohio area, none can match the outdoor stage that the Ohio Shakespeare Festival occupies every summer. Nestled into a corner of the Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens grounds in Akron, this stage comes alive at dusk with the actors' voices accompanied by the croaks of nearby bullfrogs in the pond just steps away.

You are invited to bring a picnic and enjoy the setting before the show, just visit their website for more information. But remember to take your seat by 7:30 when the pre-show "Greenshow" commences. While this Greenshow isn't as funny as some in years past, it's a great way to ease into a Shakespeare comedy (or tragedy, with Othello coming later this summer).

Huzzah!

Much Ado About Nothing
Through July 21at the Ohio Shakespeare Festival at Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens, 714 N. Portage Path, Akron, ohioshakespeare.com , 330-5-SHAKES.

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