Much ado about 400; Riverland Theatre celebrates 4 centuries of Shakespeare
Published 11:45 am Wednesday, February 24, 2016
Beatrice, played by Jennifer Bute, exchanges barbs with Vic Wylde, playing Signior Benedick, during rehearsal for the Riverland production of “Much Ado About Nothing” Tuesday night at Frank W. Bridges Theatre. — Photos by Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
Shakespeare is getting a modern spin at Riverland Community College this weekend.
The theater department will celebrate the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death by presenting one of his comedies, “Much Ado about Nothing,” but in a contemporary setting.
“We set it in a contemporary modern day,” director Susan Hansen said. “So we have pop music, we have cell phones, we have iPads.”
Vic Wylde, playing Signior Benedick (center) gives his opinions on love during a scene with Jacob Mueller playing Count Claudio (left) and Austin Hodnefield playing Don Pedro (right) during rehearsal Tuesday night at Frank W. Bridges Theatre.
“Much Ado about Nothing” features the original “battle of the sexes” couple: Benedick, an arrogant and confirmed bachelor, and Beatrice, his favorite sparring partner. While Beatrice and Benedick hide their infatuation beneath witty barbs, young love blossoms as Hero and Claudio race to the altar. But the wicked Don John conspires to break up the wedding and spreads false accusations and misunderstandings that threaten to prevent the young couple’s happy ending.
“At the heart of it it is a romantic comedy, it’s a love story,” Hansen said.
“It’s about love, it’s about strength, it’s about do we believe everything we hear, it’s about trust, and it’s funny,” she added.
Players in the Riverland Theatre production of “Much Ado About Nothing,” rehearse the revelry scene.
The show turns Shakespeare’s play into a more accessible production. Instead of a masquerade, a costume party is introduced with superheroes and movie characters.
“It’s nothing to be afraid of,” Hansen said. “It’s easy to follow, it’s very witty, very funny. There’s the whole idea of love and marriage: Do I want this? Should I do this? Is it worth it?”
Riverland Theatre traditionally stages a Shakespeare play about every four years, according to Hansen, and the group decided to do it this year in honor of the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. Hansen said this show features a large cast of eight women and 10 men, which can be a challenge for actors.
“They’ve worked really hard,” Hansen said. “We have a nice mix of community performers and current Riverland students, alumni and high school students, so it’s a really nice mix of experience and age, so it’s been really fun.”
Hansen hopes the audience will walk away with a good experience of a Shakespeare performance, to feel the love, trust, honesty and strength the show brings.
“Hopefully they’ll have a good time,” she said.
Mark Spitzer, left, playing the part of Antonio in Riverland Theatre’s production of “Much Ado About Nothing,” rehearses the party scene with James Zschunke, playing Leonato.
The show, which is suggested for ages 12 and up, will be open at 7:30 p.m. tonight and runs each night at the same time through Saturday, along with a 2 p.m. performance on Sunday at the Frank W. Bridges Theatre on Riverland’s east Austin campus.
Individual tickets to “Much Ado about Nothing” are $13 and currently on sale at www.riverland.edu/tickets, the Riverland Box Office, and at the door. The show runs about two hours.
Riverland students receive two free tickets to each performance with a valid student ID. Contact the box office at 507-433-0595 or by emailing boxoffice@riverland.edu.
“Much Ado about Nothing” features two original songs, “Sigh No More” and “Heavily, Heavily,” with music written by Peter Jacobs and using Shakespeare’s lyrics. The production is dedicated to the memory of Derek Bute, a Winona State University student who died tragically last month.
“If you’ve never seen Shakespeare before, this would be a good production to come see,” Hansen said. “It’s easy to understand, it’s fun, it’s light. There’s some classic lines in it that people [recognize.]”
