The acting company celebrates during the final moments of the Great Lakes Theater production of Shakespeare's sublime battle of wits and wills "Much Ado About Nothing" at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare which runs through April 14. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)
Members of the acting company kick up their heels during the finale of the Great Lakes Theater production of Shakespeare's sublime battle of wits and wills "Much Ado About Nothing" at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare which runs through April 14. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)
The bachelor Benedick (actor, third from left, J. Todd Adams) is "busted" by his conspiring cronies Leonato (actor, first from left, David McCann), Claudio (actor, second from left, Neil Brookshire) and Don Pedro (actor, right, David Anthony Smith) in the Great Lakes Theater production of Shakespeare's sublime battle of wits and wills "Much Ado About Nothing" at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare which runs through April 14. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)
Actors Cassandra Bissell (as Beatrice) and J. Todd Adams (as Benedick) share a tender moment in the Great Lakes Theater production of Shakespeare's sublime battle of wits and wills "Much Ado About Nothing" at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare which runs through April 14. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)
Actors Maggie Kettering (left, as Margaret), Cassandra Bissell (center, as Beatrice) and Betsy Mugavero (as Hero) share a private moment on stage in the Great Lakes Theater production of Shakespeare's sublime battle of wits and wills "Much Ado About Nothing" at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare which runs through April 14. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)
Actors Betsy Mugavero (as Hero) and David Anthony Smith (as Don Pedro) share the spotlight during a masquerade party in the Great Lakes Theater production of Shakespeare's sublime battle of wits and wills "Much Ado About Nothing" at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare which runs through April 14. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)
Actors Laurie Birmingham (as Antonia) and David McCann (as Leonato) share a smile during a masquerade party in the Great Lakes Theater production of Shakespeare's sublime battle of wits and wills "Much Ado About Nothing" at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare which runs through April 14. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)
Actor Juan Rivera Lebron (as Don John) sips a drink in the shadows during the Great Lakes Theater production of Shakespeare's sublime battle of wits and wills "Much Ado About Nothing" at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare which runs through April 14. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)
Actor Dougfred Miller (center, as Dogberry) mentors a member of his motley band of watchmen (right, actor, Austin Blunk) as his sidekick, actor M.A. Taylor (left, as Verges) watches on in the Great Lakes Theater production of Shakespeare's sublime battle of wits and wills "Much Ado About Nothing" at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare which runs through April 14. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)
Until death do us part? Actor Neil Brookshire (left, as Claudio) suspiciously eyes his bride-to-be, actor Betsy Mugavero (as Hero) as an unsuspecting adjudicator, actor Eric Damon Smith (center, as Friar Francis) watches on in the Great Lakes Theater production of Shakespeare's sublime battle of wits and wills "Much Ado About Nothing" at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare which runs through April 14. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)
Actors Cassandra Bissell (as Beatrice) and J. Todd Adams (as Benedick) share a tender moment in the Great Lakes Theater production of Shakespeare's sublime battle of wits and wills "Much Ado About Nothing" at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare which runs through April 14. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)
Family feud? Actor Laurie Birmingham (left, as Antonia) and David McCann (center, as Leonato) console their spurned daughter, actor Betsy Mugavero (as Hero), in the Great Lakes Theater production of Shakespeare's sublime battle of wits and wills "Much Ado About Nothing" at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare which runs through April 14. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)
Actor Neil Brookshire (left, as Claudio) and David Anthony Smith (right, as Don Pedro) take center stage in the Great Lakes Theater production of Shakespeare's sublime battle of wits and wills "Much Ado About Nothing" at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare which runs through April 14. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)
Actors Neil Brookshire (left, as Claudio), Eric Damon Smith (center, as Balthasar) and David McCann (right, as Leonato) revel as J. Todd Adams (up, as Bendick) eavesdrops in the Great Lakes Theater production of Shakespeare's sublime battle of wits and wills "Much Ado About Nothing" at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare which runs through April 14. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)
From the Director...
Scholars place Much Ado About Nothing solidly in the “middle years” of Shakespeare’s comedies. Appearing on the scene in 1598 (or 99), it comes after the early comedies Two Gentlemen of Verona (1592), The Comedy of Errors (1592-93) and TheTaming of the Shrew (1594-95). With its first production in either 1598 or 1599, it is positioned after those early forays into comedy, but before As You Like It, which appeared later in 1599, and Twelfth Night in 1601-2. One can feel the strong residual influences of Kate and Petruchio in Beatrice and Benedick’s verbal sparring, but it seems as if, by Much Ado, Shakespeare began to give more of a “voice” to his female comic lead, as one would never find Beatrice kissing the foot of her husband!
The wonderful raucous energy of Shrew is preserved in the central couple of Much Ado AboutNothing and in the comic subplot,but a note of melancholy and sadness enters the comic picture. The play begins with soldiers returning from war. Granted, not much is made of this fact in the course of the play. Shakespeare doesn’t weave it into the central texture of the plot as much as he does the exile to the forest of Rosalind and her father in As YouLike It, or the shipwreck and supposed death of a brother in Twelfth Night, but it is there nonetheless. Also, Benedick and Beatrice have had some kind of relationship before, as we can see from the following exchange:
D. Pedro: Come lady, come, you have lost the heart of Signior Benedick.
Beatrice: Indeed, my lord, he lent it me awhile, and I gave him use for it, a double heart for his single one. Marry, once before he won it of me with false dice, therefore your grace may well say I have lost it.
(II, 1. 257-64)
This earlier attempt at a relationship doesn’t appear to have ended on an altogether happy note. Even though it is clear to all the other characters in the play, and to the audience, that this couple belongs together, experience and more than a little bitterness keeps them from seeing that themselves.So many of my friends and colleagues cite Much Ado About Nothing as their favorite Shakespearean comedy. Why is that? It doesn’t have the perfect poetic symmetry of A Midsummer Night’s Dream with its down-to-earth, mostly prose language. It doesn’t have the iconic cross-dressing leading ladies of As You Like It or Twelfth Night (although Beatrice certainly wants to put on the pants and eat Claudio’s heart out in the marketplace). It doesn’t have the famous speeches of As You Like It, or the masterfully worked out subplot of Twelfth Night. But what it does have in spades is this wonderful central couple. These are two people we can relate to, and their mature and beautiful realization that they want each other, and enjoy each other, and actually need each other is one of the most fulfilling and moving of Shakespeare’s creations. Every time I read this simple exchange between Beatrice and Benedick in Act V, I get teary.
Benedick: How does your cousin?
Beatrice: Very ill.Benedick: And how do you?
Beatrice: Very ill too.
Benedick: Serve God, love me, and mend.
(V, ii, 81-86)
This advice, so simple but so human, comes from a character who, like his author, truly understands the healing power of love.
Our production is inspired by many things: the Tuscan countryside; various social and aesthetic movements in Europe post-World War I, including the rise of the “new woman;” the spirit of the wild parties of the Jazz Age; and even the early silent movies from Keystone, particularly The Bangville Police. We hope you enjoy our exploration of this most human comedy.
–Sharon Ott
Director, Much Ado About Nothing
Synopsis
Don Pedro, Prince of Aragon, has not only forgiven the intrigues of his bastard brother Don John, who recently led an unsuccessful rebellion against him, but he includes him in his unit as he goes to visit Leonato, governor of Messina, together with two young noblemen, Benedick and Claudio, who have served him with great distinction in the recent war.
As Don Pedro and his group arrive, we meet Leonato’s daughter Hero, and his spirited niece Beatrice. Beatrice appears to have had some sort of prior relationship with Benedick, and when they meet again they begin their customary witty bantering and scornful repartee. Claudio is attracted to Hero, and tells Don Pedro of his love. The Prince offers to help Claudio in getting Leonato’s consent, and begins to personally woo the girl for her lover by impersonating him at a masked ball that evening. Two followers of Don John, Borachio and Conrade, hear of the plan and tell Don John who insinuates to Claudio that Don Pedro is faithlessly making love on his own account. This suspicion quickly evaporates, however, when the Prince and Hero appear with Leonato who consents to the young soldier’s suit and arranges for a wedding in a week’s time.
Don Pedro, an inveterate matchmaker, proposes to Leonato and Claudio that in the interim they undertake to make Benedick fall in love, in spite of his denunciations of marriage. Hero and her companions, Margaret and Ursula, concoct a similar plan with Beatrice.
Meanwhile, Don John’s malicious mind has turned upon the impending marriage as an opportunity to bring humiliation on his brother and Claudio who has gained military glory. Realizing how easily he can play upon Claudio’s nature, he lays a plot to bring Don Pedro and Claudio to witness what will seem to be an illicit meeting between Hero and a lover. Claudio is furious when he sees the woman he assumes to be Hero in another’s arms. In fact, this pair is actually Don John’s companion, Borachio, and his lover, Margaret who is an unwitting accomplice in the plot. In his fury, Claudio determines to be revenged in public for his damaged dignity, and Don Pedro consents to accompany him to the church where, as the ceremony begins, he harshly repudiates Hero before the assembled guests. Hero, stunned and hurt, drops in a dead faint into Beatrice’s arms whose cry of anger brings Benedick to her side as the others leave.
The level-headed Friar Francis strongly suspects Don John of villainy and suggests that Leonato give out the report that his daughter has died, and await developments. In the tense moments that follow, Benedick and Beatrice confess their love for each other, but the soldier in Benedick at first recoils in horror when Beatrice commands him to kill Claudio, his old comrade and constant companion. However, he soon arrives at Beatrice’s point of view believing that the man who broke the heart and smirched the honor of the innocent Hero must die, and seeking him out he challenges Claudio to a duel.
At this juncture, the sexton, knowing of Hero’s public disgrace, solves the whole problem in a trial where Dogberry, the local constable, tells an involved story of how he and his watchman having arrested Borachio and Conrade, Don John’s henchmen. Later, Don Pedro recognizes the men, and Borachio verifies the story of Don John’s vicious plot that the watchmen overheard him tell Conrade while drunk. Claudio, genuinely distressed, offers to make amends through any penance Hero’s father may prescribe, and accedes at once to Leonato’s request that he publicly demonstrate his belief in his dead love’s innocence by hanging an epitaph on her tomb in a ceremony of song which he vows to repeat yearly, and by marrying Leonato’s niece and heir who exactly resembles his lost daughter.
When Claudio is married the next day, he joyfully discovers his veiled bride to be Hero herself. Benedick, who has just asked the good friar to marry him to Beatrice, all but loses her through a sudden tiff, but love poems written by each of them are produced which cannot be denied, and they finally declare they are marrying out of sheer pity for one another. Gaily swinging the party into a dance, Benedick bids his Prince, Don Pedro, to get himself a wife, and put off until the morrow all thought of the punishment of Don John who has just been captured in his flight from Messina.
–The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
Cambridge Edition, 1936
J. Todd Adams*
Benedick
Three seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Great Lakes Theater: Much Ado About Nothing (Benedick), Romeo and Juliet (Mercutio), The Imaginary Invalid (Bonnefoi) and The Winter’s Tale (Cleomenes). Regional: Richard III, Much Ado About Nothing, Romeo and Juliet, The Imaginary Invalid and The Winter’s Tale at IdahoShakespeare Festival; Henry IV pt. 1 (Hotspur), The Three Musketeers (Aramis), Love’s Labour’ s Lost (Costard) and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Puck) at Shakespeare Santa Cruz; The Importance of Being Earnest (Jack) and The Real Thing (Billy) at PCPA; Drawer Boy, Lonesome West, Entertaining Mister Sloane and Cyrano de Bergerac (SouthCoast Repertory); Gross Indecency (Mark TaperForum); King Lear (San Diego Repertory); Much Ado About Nothing (Arizona Theatre Company); I Pagliacci (Kennedy Center, directed by FrancoZeffirelli); and productions at A Noise Withinand the Utah Shakespeare Festival. Film/Television: Gilmore Girls, The West Wing, Flyboys and Warriors of Virtue. Mr. Adams holds an MFAfrom the American Conservatory Theater. Three seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Great Lakes Theater: Much Ado About Nothing (Benedick), Romeo and Juliet (Mercutio), The Imaginary Invalid (Bonnefoi) and The Winter’s Tale (Cleomenes). Regional: Richard III, Much Ado About Nothing, Romeo and Juliet, The Imaginary Invalid and The Winter’s Tale at IdahoShakespeare Festival; Henry IV pt....
Laurie Birmingham*
Antonia/Sexton
Three seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Laurie is blessed to join Great Lakes again this season! She has played Madame Arcati in Blithe Spirit, the Nurse in Romeo and Juliet, and Paulina in A Winter’s Tale with Idaho Shakespeare Festival and GLT. Laurie is a 35-year veteran of regional theaters across the United States. She was a resident company member with Milwaukee Repertory Theatre and played many roles over the 17 years she spent there. Some favorites include Josie Hogan in A Moon for theMisbegotten, Penny Sycamore in You Can’t Take itWith You and Claire in A Delicate Balance, to name only a few. Other regional credits include the Asolo Theatre, Virginia Stage Company, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Connecticut Repertory, Meadowbrook Theatre, NY Shakespeare Exchange and the Tony-Award-winning Utah Shakespeare Festival. In NYC, Laurie has played in two off-Broadway shows: A Little Journey with The Mint Theatre, nominated for a Drama Desk Award; and created the role of Miss Abigail in Miss Abigail’sGuide to Dating, Mating, and Marriage. She also narrates for Recorded Books, LLC. TV credits include The Onion News Network, Celebrity GhostStories and a pilot called Modern Love. This season is dedicated to her new furry baby, Odi. Visit her at www.lauriebirmingham.com Three seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Laurie is blessed to join Great Lakes again this season! She has played Madame Arcati in Blithe Spirit, the Nurse in Romeo and Juliet, and Paulina in A Winter’s Tale with Idaho Shakespeare Festival and GLT. Laurie is a 35-year veteran of regional theaters...
Cassandra Bissell*
Beatrice
Great Lakes Theater debut: Cassandra is delighted to be performing with Great Lakes Theater for the first time! She is based out of Chicago, where her credits include work with Chicago Shakespeare Theater (The Tempest, Richard II, King John and Short Shakespeare! productions of Romeo & Juliet and Macbeth), Court Theatre (Arcadia, Hamlet), Steppenwolf Theatre Company (The Berlin Circle), Victory Gardens (Memory House), The Shakespeare Project of Chicago (Twelfth Night, A Woman Killed With Kindness, Othello), Next Theatre Company (In The Blood, Measure for Measure), Rivendell Theatre Ensemble (Mary’s Wedding - Joseph Jefferson nomination for Best Actress in a Principal Role), Shakespeare on the Green (Othello). She performed throughout the Midwest and South as part of the National Endowment for the Arts Shakespeare in American Communities initiative with Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s production of Romeo and Juliet. Regionally, she has appeared at Milwaukee Repertory Theatre (My Name is Asher Lev, In the Next Room or The Vibrator Play), Actors’ Theatre of Louisville (Memory House, In the Next Room or The Vibrator Play), Cleveland Play House (Pride & Prejudice, Noises Off) and Renaissance Theaterworks (Crumbs from the Table of Joy), as well as six seasons at Peninsula Players in Door County, Wisconsin (including Proof, Doubt, Opus, The Lady’s Not for Burning, A Man for All Seasons, Around the World in 80 Days.) Cassandra has been a member of Actors’ Equity since 2003 and holds a degree in Gender Studies from the University of Chicago. Great Lakes Theater debut: Cassandra is delighted to be performing with Great Lakes Theater for the first time! She is based out of Chicago, where her credits include work with Chicago Shakespeare Theater (The Tempest, Richard II, King John and Short Shakespeare! productions of Romeo & Juliet and Macbeth), Court...
Austin Blunk
First Watch/Ensemble
Great Lakes Theater debut: Austin is thrilled to make his regional theater debut at Great Lakes Theater this year! He is a junior in the performing arts program at Savannah College of Art and Design. He has played parts in several plays in their mainstage season over the three years he has attended. Favorites include Matt in Dog Sees God, Jimmy/Chad in Almost Maine and Butch Honeywell in The Last Days of Judas Iscariot. Before Austin went to college, he performed at the Arkansas Arts Center Children’s Theatre for four years. Austin would like to thank his friends and family for their unfailing support and Sharon Ott for affording me this opportunity! Great Lakes Theater debut: Austin is thrilled to make his regional theater debut at Great Lakes Theater this year! He is a junior in the performing arts program at Savannah College of Art and Design. He has played parts in several plays in their mainstage season over the three years...
Neil Brookshire*
Claudio
Four seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Originally from Wyoming, Neil earned a BA from Boise State University and an MFA in Acting from Northern Illinois University. Previously with Great Lakes Theater: Clifford Bradshaw, Cabaret; Tranio, The Taming of the Shrew; Valentine, The Two Gentlemen of Verona and Moth, Love’s Labour’s Lost. He has worked with the Idaho Shakespeare Festival for eight seasons, the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, Boise Contemporary Theater, Idaho Dance Theatre, Opera Idaho and Company of Fools. He also stars in The Pact, an independent film by Tarantula Entertainment. Four seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Originally from Wyoming, Neil earned a BA from Boise State University and an MFA in Acting from Northern Illinois University. Previously with Great Lakes Theater: Clifford Bradshaw, Cabaret; Tranio, The Taming of the Shrew; Valentine, The Two Gentlemen of Verona and Moth, Love’s Labour’s...
Kyle Carthens
Ensemble
First Season at Great Lakes Theater: Kyle is happy to return to the Hanna Theatre stage again this season. He won an Emmy Award for his role in the television program Crimestoppers Case Files: NortheastOhio, and can be seen in the upcoming films FunSize, Alex Cross and most recently in the football film Underdogs which is set for a theatrical release in 2013. Other show credits include Citizen Barlow, Gem of the Ocean; Trombone 7, God’sTrombones; Drawer/Lightbulb/Window, Closure; African Student, Great White Hope; Bass Reeves, ASolitary Voice: Bass Reeves; Zero, Holes. Four Seasons at Karamu House. Other shows include Lowboy, Lower Ninth; Torry, Huck andHolden, The Gospel According to James at Ensemble Theater. Jason Harlan, While I’m Here on this Earth, These are the Times for Cleveland Public Theater, Andre Louis, Seedfolks for the Young Audiences of Northeast Ohio, Victor Frankenstein, Frankenstein; Storyteller, Once onthis Island; Benvolio, Romeo and Juliet at Cleveland Play House. He has also shot industrial videos for Best Buy. Kyle is a proud graduate of the Cleveland School of the Arts in 2009 and is represented by the Docherty Talent and Model Agency. First Season at Great Lakes Theater: Kyle is happy to return to the Hanna Theatre stage again this season. He won an Emmy Award for his role in the television program Crimestoppers Case Files: NortheastOhio, and can be seen in the upcoming films FunSize, Alex Cross and most recently in...
Laurel Hoffman
Ensemble
Two seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Laurel Hoffman recently appeared in the 2013 NEO MFA Festival. Cleveland Credits: Proof (Lakeland); Antebellum, boom (CPT); Freakshow, Brainpeople, Quake (convergence-continuum); Humble Boy (Dobama), Red Light Winter (BNC); and other performances with convergence-continuum, Dobama, Ensemble, Beck Center, Cleveland Public Theatre and Great Lakes Theater. Regional credits: Picnic (Inge Festival); Measure for Measure (Powerhouse Theater); Rocket to the Moon, Cuckoo’s Nest (New York). TV credit: The Kill Point on SpikeTV. Laurel received an Acting degree from the Esper Studio and a B.A. in Linguistics from Brandeis University. Thanks to her family and husband, Geoffrey, for their loving support. laurelbrookejohnson.blogspot.com Two seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Laurel Hoffman recently appeared in the 2013 NEO MFA Festival. Cleveland Credits: Proof (Lakeland); Antebellum, boom (CPT); Freakshow, Brainpeople, Quake (convergence-continuum); Humble Boy (Dobama), Red Light Winter (BNC); and other performances with convergence-continuum, Dobama, Ensemble, Beck Center, Cleveland Public Theatre and Great Lakes Theater....
Maggie Kettering*
Margaret
Great Lakes Theater Debut: Maggie is very excited to join Great Lakes this season! She is currently based in Chicago, where some favorites include Maureen Buckley in My Kind ofTown (TimeLine Theatre); Puck in A MidsummerNight’s Dream (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre); Pattie in Season’s Greetings (Northlight Theatre), where she received the Jack Springer Award; and Mrs. Grigson in Shadow of a Gunman (Seanachai Theatre). Regionally, she has worked with Resident Ensemble Players, Michigan Shakespeare Festival, Texas Shakespeare Festival, Virginia Shakespeare Festival, Contemporary American Theatre Festival, Ware-house Theatre and Delaware Theatre Company. She is a member of A Crew of Patches Theatre Company, and holds an MFA from the University of Delaware’s Professional Theatre Training Program. Maggie is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association. Great Lakes Theater Debut: Maggie is very excited to join Great Lakes this season! She is currently based in Chicago, where some favorites include Maureen Buckley in My Kind ofTown (TimeLine Theatre); Puck in A MidsummerNight’s Dream (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre); Pattie in Season’s Greetings (Northlight Theatre), where she received the...
Drew Kopas*
Conrade
Great Lakes Theater Debut: Drew’s previous roles include Archidamus in The Winter’s Tale at Great Lakes Theater; Valentine in Two Gentlemen of Verona and Gratiano in The Merchant of Venice at Virginia Shakespeare Festival; Curio in Twelfth Night at the Shakespeare Theatre Company; King Louis XIV in Las Meninas at Rep Stage; Gunner in Misalliance and Young Charlie in Da at Olney Theatre Center; Romeo in A Commedia Romeo and Juliet with Faction of Fools; Freddy/Nepommuck in Pygmalion and Frank in All My Sons at Everyman Theatre; Lakshman in The Ramayana and Melchior in On the Razzle at Constellation Theatre; Aldo in Italian American Reconciliation at 1st Stage; Orlando in As You Like It and Valentine in Two Gentlemen of Verona for the National Players. Drew is a graduate of Cleveland State University and holds an MFA in acting from Western Illinois University. Great Lakes Theater Debut: Drew’s previous roles include Archidamus in The Winter’s Tale at Great Lakes Theater; Valentine in Two Gentlemen of Verona and Gratiano in The Merchant of Venice at Virginia Shakespeare Festival; Curio in Twelfth Night at the Shakespeare Theatre Company; King Louis XIV in Las Meninas at...
Juan Rivera Lebron*
Don John
Two seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Previously at GLT: Don John in Much Ado About Nothing, Clown in The Winter’s Tale and Cleante in The ImaginaryInvalid. Other Credits include: Florizel in TheWinter’s Tale and Ru in Merrily We Roll Along at The Guthrie Theater, Young Man in Gum at The Women’s Project, NYC; Roberto in Working at The Signature Theater. Seven Seasons at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, selected credits include: Claudio in Much Ado About Nothing, Sylvio in Servant of Two Masters, Rodolfo in AView from the Bridge, Benvolio in Romeo andJuliet, Valentine in The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Bicycle Pants in Lorca in a Green Dress. BFA, Carnegie Mellon University. U.S. delegation to the Unesco/ITI World Congress in Madrid, Spain 2008. Recipient of the Fox Foundation Resident Actor Fellowship funded by the William & Eva Fox Foundation and administered by the Theater Communications Group. Member of AEA. Dedicated to C, O, B, A for their love and support. Like or follow @ facebook/juanriveralebron, twitter/juanlebron. Two seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Previously at GLT: Don John in Much Ado About Nothing, Clown in The Winter’s Tale and Cleante in The ImaginaryInvalid. Other Credits include: Florizel in TheWinter’s Tale and Ru in Merrily We Roll Along at The Guthrie Theater, Young Man in Gum...
Darren Matthias*
Borachio
Two seasons with Great Lakes Theater: Previously with GLT: Borachio in Much Ado About Nothing. Tours: Macduff/Macbeth (London, Antibes, Nice, Valbonne), Tommy, Seussical and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Off- Broadway: Harold Clurman Theatre, York Theatre and Prospect Theatre Company. Regional: Another Time, Stepping Out and The Song of Jacob Zulu (Steppenwolf), Riverview and Never the Sinner (Goodman), Mowbray/Richard II and Pistol/Henry V (The Shakespeare Theatre, D.C.), Wicked Witch/The Wizard of Oz (Ordway, Cincinnati Playhouse and N. Carolina Theatre), Lizzie Borden (Goodspeed), Equus, Carnival!, Pangloss/Candide and Frank ‘N Furter/The Rocky Horror Show (Cincinnati Playhouse), Arcadia (Clarence Brown), Aida (Actor’s Playhouse and Drury Lane), Of Thee I Sing (Remains), 90 North (Kennedy Center), Illyria, Henry V, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Cervantes/Man of La Mancha, Measure for Measure and Antigonus/The Winter’s Tale (Shakespeare Theatre of NJ). Film & TV: The Definite Maybe (Phoenix), Law & Order, Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Law & Order: SVU (NBC) and Chappelle’s Show (Comedy Central). Two seasons with Great Lakes Theater: Previously with GLT: Borachio in Much Ado About Nothing. Tours: Macduff/Macbeth (London, Antibes, Nice, Valbonne), Tommy, Seussical and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Off- Broadway: Harold Clurman Theatre, York Theatre and Prospect Theatre Company. Regional: Another Time, Stepping Out and The...
David McCann*
Leonato
Two seasons at Great Lakes Theater: David has performed across the U.S., Canada and the U.K., including Old Globe, Shakespeare Theatre, Pioneer, New World Stages, Kansas City, St. Louis, Geva, Denver Center, Alliance, Walnut Street, Syracuse Stage, Delaware, Vermont Stage, Virginia Stage, Dorset, Wilma, Triad, Alabama/Orlando/ Nebraska/Vermont Shakespeare festivals, Actors Playhouse, CRT, and with the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Barbican and on tour. Roles include Hamlet (3), Claudius (2), Prospero (2), Oberon, Feste (2), Bassanio, Lord Byron, Hosanna (2), Don Pedro (2), Aunt Augusta (3), Iago, Salieri, Cauchon, Ganesha, Milo Tindle, Robert Scott, Colm Primrose, Claudio, Ross (2), Pato Dooley, Bernard Nightengale, Felix Turner (3), Judge Brack, Pastor Manders, Rev. Brown, Bajazeth, Warwick, McLeavy, Ben Franklin, and the original company of John Barton’s Tantalus. TV: Sex and ..., Sopranos, ATWT, L&O (and CI.) He is a food writer and playwright (Great American Home Cooking, Every Day with Rachel Ray, Christmas Carol (18), Immortal Longings, The Wake, Grand). Follow his food blog at www.thisoldchef.com. ★ Stephani & Paul Hilding Two seasons at Great Lakes Theater: David has performed across the U.S., Canada and the U.K., including Old Globe, Shakespeare Theatre, Pioneer, New World Stages, Kansas City, St. Louis, Geva, Denver Center, Alliance, Walnut Street, Syracuse Stage, Delaware, Vermont Stage, Virginia Stage, Dorset, Wilma, Triad, Alabama/Orlando/ Nebraska/Vermont Shakespeare festivals, Actors...
Dougfred Miller*
Dogberry
Nine seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Apart from his widely acclaimed portrayal of Dogberry in Much Ado AboutNothing, Doug’s previous appearances for Great Lakes Theater include the title role in Macbeth, Bob Cratchit in A Christmas Carol, Jonathan in Arsenic and Old Lace, Cassius in Julius Caesar, Jacques in As You Like It and Jack in TheImportance of Being Earnest. Last summer, he was seen in the Beck Center’s production of Spamalot, playing King Arthur opposite his real-life Lady of the Lake, Jessica Cope. In several seasons with the Idaho Shakespeare Festival, his roles include Cusins in Major Barbara, Holofernes in Love’sLabor’s Lost, Malvolio in Twelfth Night, Horatio in Hamlet, Don Pedro in Much Ado About Nothing, several Dukes, an Emperor in Amadeus, and Prince Hal in Henry IV, Part 1 and Part 2. He has played Moriarty in Sherlock Holmes and the Caseof the Christmas Carol at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Versati in The Underpants at Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Jim Tyrone in A Moon for theMisbegotten at the Coach House Theatre, Lysander in a Vietnamese/English production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream with the Central Dramatic Theatre Company in Hanoi, Scrooge in A Christmas Carol at Portland Center Stage, Richard in Richard III and Benedick in Much AdoAbout Nothing at Tygres Heart Shakespeare Company, and with the Texas Shakespeare Festival, Prospero in The Tempest and the Duke in Measure for Measure. Doug is a graduate of the PTTP at the University of Delaware, and a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association. Nine seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Apart from his widely acclaimed portrayal of Dogberry in Much Ado AboutNothing, Doug’s previous appearances for Great Lakes Theater include the title role in Macbeth, Bob Cratchit in A Christmas Carol, Jonathan in Arsenic and Old Lace, Cassius in Julius Caesar, Jacques in As You...
Betsy Mugavero*
Hero
Three seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Previously at GLT: Romeo and Juliet (Juliet), Much Ado About Nothing (Hero). Other favoritecredits include the regional premiere of Peter and the Starcatcher (Molly), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Hermia), Henry V (the Boy), Love’s Labour’s Lost (Jaquenetta) among others at theUtah Shakespeare Festival; Romeo and Juliet (Juliet) and Noises Off! (Brooke), IdahoShakespeare Festival; The Tempest (Miranda),Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival; Romeo and Juliet (Juliet), Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival.M.F.A., University of California, Irvine. Betsy isthrilled to be back in Cleveland and to exploreArden with such talented friends. Much love andthanks to her family, friends, Quinn and Henry. Three seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Previously at GLT: Romeo and Juliet (Juliet), Much Ado About Nothing (Hero). Other favoritecredits include the regional premiere of Peter and the Starcatcher (Molly), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Hermia), Henry V (the Boy), Love’s Labour’s Lost (Jaquenetta) among others at theUtah Shakespeare Festival; Romeo and...
David Anthony Smith*
Don Pedro
Eleven seasons at Great Lakes Theater: In eleven seasons at Great Lakes Theater, audiences have seen him as Iago in Othello, Duke of Buckingham in Richard III, Viscount Goring in An Ideal Husband, Bottom in A MidsummerNight’s Dream, Malvolio in Twelfth Night, Macduff in Macbeth, Benedick in Much Ado AboutNothing, Sergius in Arms and the Man, Algernon in The Importance of Being Earnest, Marc Antony in Julius Caesar and Berowne in Love’s Labour’sLost. He has performed at the Tony-Awardwinning Old Globe Theater in San Diego, South Coast Repertory, 13 seasons with the Idaho Shakespeare Festival (title role in Henry V), at Laguna Playhouse, Sierra Rep, Madison Rep and the Shakespeare festivals of Utah, Colorado, Garden Grove, Rhode Island and Nevada. Forever and a day — Natalia. Eleven seasons at Great Lakes Theater: In eleven seasons at Great Lakes Theater, audiences have seen him as Iago in Othello, Duke of Buckingham in Richard III, Viscount Goring in An Ideal Husband, Bottom in A MidsummerNight’s Dream, Malvolio in Twelfth Night, Macduff in Macbeth, Benedick in Much Ado AboutNothing,...
Eric Damon Smith*
Balthasar/Friar
Two Seasons at Great Lakes Theater: A Chicago-based actor and director, Eric happily returns to Great Lakes Theater. Previously this season, Eric appeared in Sweeney Todd and Richard III (2nd murderer and Bishop of Ely) and last season as Charles in Blithe Spirit and Balthasar/Friar Francis in Much Ado AboutNothing. Recently, Eric was seen as Bud in Gutenberg! The Musical at Milwaukee Repertory Theatre; Bassanio in The Merchant of Venice and Oliver in As You Like It at Riverside Theatre in the Park in Iowa City. Other Chicago credits include his Jeff-Award nominated turn as Flaminio Scala in the Midwest premiere of The Glorious Ones with Boho and at Theatre on the Lake. Also Jacques in As You Like It at Muse of Fire, Mosca in Volpone, directed by Sheldon Patinkin at City Lit Theatre and Jamie in Long Day’s Journey intoNight at Polarity. He has also worked with Remy Bumppo and Northlight Theatre. Eric trained at Hofstra University. Two Seasons at Great Lakes Theater: A Chicago-based actor and director, Eric happily returns to Great Lakes Theater. Previously this season, Eric appeared in Sweeney Todd and Richard III (2nd murderer and Bishop of Ely) and last season as Charles in Blithe Spirit and Balthasar/Friar Francis in Much Ado AboutNothing....
M. A. Taylor*
Verges
Eleven seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Mark Anthony (aka M.A.) is glad to return to the banks of Lake Erie and revisit this pastoral Shakespearean classic. Previous roles at Great Lakes Theater include: Charity Man/Old Joe, AChristmas Carol; Beadle, Sweeney Todd; Lord Rivers, Richard III; Verges, Much Ado About Nothing; Old Shepherd, The Winter’s Tale; Guy, The Imaginary Invalid; Peter, Romeo and Juliet; Grumio, The Taming of the Shrew; Speed, TheTwo Gentlemen of Verona; Actor 3, The CompleteWorks of William Shakespeare (Abridged); Gratiano, Othello; Phipps, An Ideal Husband; Flute/Fairy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Durdles, The Mystery of Edwin Drood; and Fabian, Twelfth Night. Also among his credits: Candy in Of Mice and Men (directed by Adrian Hall) for PTTP/Rep, Dracula for Boise Contemporary Theater in the title role, Launce in The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Gravedigger/ Player King in Hamlet for Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival and Crave & Fully Committed for Tooth & Nail Theater in Salt Lake City. Other productions include Arsenic and Old Lace, TheCrucible, Tooth of Crime, Translations, An IdealHusband, All the King’s Men, The Effects of Tobacco and Swan Song. He holds an MFA from the University of Delaware’s Professional Theatre Training Program (PTTP). He wishes to thank his Families (Genetic & Professional) without who, I would n’er be able to do what I love. Looking forward to green grass and the crack of the bat…Go Tribe! Eleven seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Mark Anthony (aka M.A.) is glad to return to the banks of Lake Erie and revisit this pastoral Shakespearean classic. Previous roles at Great Lakes Theater include: Charity Man/Old Joe, AChristmas Carol; Beadle, Sweeney Todd; Lord Rivers, Richard III; Verges, Much Ado About Nothing;...
Karen Thorla
Ursula
Great Lakes Theater debut: Previous credits: Regional: GA Shakespeare: Sprite in The Tempest. Film: CBGB. Other: Workshop: The Aeneid (dir. Kay Matschullat, music by Duncan Sheik), But I’m a Cheerleader (book and lyrics by Bill Augustin, music by Andy Abrams). Training: Savannah College of Art and Design: Senior, BFA Performing Arts. Great Lakes Theater debut: Previous credits: Regional: GA Shakespeare: Sprite in The Tempest. Film: CBGB. Other: Workshop: The Aeneid (dir. Kay Matschullat, music by Duncan Sheik), But I’m a Cheerleader (book and lyrics by Bill Augustin, music by Andy Abrams). Training: Savannah College of Art and Design: Senior, BFA Performing...
Steven J. West
Second Watch/Ensemble
Great Lakes Theater debut: Steven is thrilled to be back in Cleveland, this time on stage at the beautiful Hanna Theatre! From 2009-2011, Steven served as an actor teacher in GLT’s acclaimed school residency program. Other Cleveland credits include Shane in The New Century at the Dobama Theatre and Voice Over and McInjun in The Cleveland Public Theatre’s Big Box Series. Currently residing in NYC, Steven played Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream in an outdoor production on the Hudson River for NYC’s Pulse Ensemble Theatre. In addition to working as an actor in NYC, Steven is fortunate to work as a teaching artist for several theater companies in the Tri-State area. Other regional credits include T.J. Brooks in Southern Baptist Sissies, Tommy Murphy in Trainspotting at The Ringwald Theatre, White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland at The Hilberry Theatre and Tom Snout in A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Detroit Free Shakespeare. Big thanks to Charlie and the team at GLT for allowing him to come to his second home for work, and to friends and family for their endless love and support. Great Lakes Theater debut: Steven is thrilled to be back in Cleveland, this time on stage at the beautiful Hanna Theatre! From 2009-2011, Steven served as an actor teacher in GLT’s acclaimed school residency program. Other Cleveland credits include Shane in The New Century at the Dobama Theatre and Voice...
* Members of the Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
Sharon Ott
Director
Great Lakes Theater debut: Sharon Ott has been a leading figure in the American theater for the past 30 years. She served as Artistic Director for two major theaters, the Berkeley Repertory Theater (for 13 years) and the Seattle Repertory Theater (for 8 years), winning many awards for her work as a director and producer, including three Bay Area Theater Awards (The Tooth Of Crime, Heartbreak House and You,Nero), several Hollywood Dramalogue awards (Ballad Of Yachiyo, The Lady From the Sea, Twelfth Night and others), the Elliot Norton Award (Boston, MA, for The Woman Warrior), the Paine Knickerbocker Lifetime Achievement Award (San Francisco, for Artistic Direction of Berkeley Rep) and an Obie Award (shared with members of Theatre X, Milwaukee, for A Fierce Longing- production design). During her last season as Artistic Director at Berkeley Rep, the company received the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theater. Ms. Ott has worked with such outstanding artists as Phillip Kan Gotanda, Anna Deavere Smith, Stephen Wadsworth, August Wilson, Mary Zimmerman, Ping Chong, Amy Freed and Nilo Cruz, and directed at theaters throughout the country, including Playwrights Horizons, the Public Theater and the Manhattan Theater Club in New York, Arena Stage, South Coast Repertory, the Huntington Theater, Intiman and ACT/Seattle, La Jolla Playhouse and Utah Shakespeare Festival. She has also directed operas for San Diego Opera, Seattle Opera, and Opera Colorado. Ms. Ott is a member of the Executive Board of her union, SDC. She currently lives in Savannah, Georgia, where she is a professor and serves as the Artistic Director of the Performing Arts Department at the Savannah College of Art and Design. Much Ado About Nothing is her eighth Shakespeare play, and she is thrilled to return to his wonderful world, and is also thrilled to make her debut at Great Lakes Theater. Great Lakes Theater debut: Sharon Ott has been a leading figure in the American theater for the past 30 years. She served as Artistic Director for two major theaters, the Berkeley Repertory Theater (for 13 years) and the Seattle Repertory Theater (for 8 years), winning many awards for her work as a director and producer, including three Bay Area Theater Awards (The Tooth Of Crime, Heartbreak House and You,Nero), several Hollywood Dramalogue awards (Ballad Of...
Martín Céspedes
Choreographer
Four seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Martín is happy to return to Great Lakes Theater and to be working with Ed Morgan for the first time. At Great Lakes, he has choreographed TheComedy of Errors, Into the Woods, Bat Boy: TheMusical, and Much Ado About Nothing. He most recently staged the critically acclaimed Bloody,Bloody Andrew Jackson and Xanadu for Beck Center for the Arts. Favorite productions include NineThe Musical; Equus; Smokey Joe’s Café; Five GuysNamed Moe; Ain’t Misbehavin’ and My Way (theMusic of Frank Sinatra). He has appeared in several Broadway national tours, including Man of LaMancha with Jack Jones and Ron Holgate; The Kingand I with Hayley Mills, Marie Osmond, Maureen McGovern and Faith Prince; South Pacific with Robert Goulet; and West Side Story with Bebe Neuwirth. In New York, Martín staged choreography for the off-off-Broadway production of Scrooge andMarley. He choreographed the opening acts for Earth, Wind, and Fire and the Bee Gees, and has appeared on TV’s Dance Fever and NBC’s WeekdayFever. His most recent opera credit was the lavish PBS production of Le Cid with Placido Domingo and the Washington Opera live from Kennedy Center, He is an alumnus of Jacque d’Amboise’s National Dance Institute at New York City’s PS 161. Martín has won numerous awards some including the 2011 Broadwayworld Award. 2013 Cleveland Critics Circle award for best choreography. And was nominated for the Zelda Fichander Award which recognizes an outstanding director of choreographer who is making a unique and exceptional contribution in regional theater. Upcoming shows include The Frogs (Cain Park), Young Frankenstein (Beck Center), and Director/Choreographer for the opening of the Cleveland Foundation’s 100th anniversary Gala at the Palace Theatre. Four seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Martín is happy to return to Great Lakes Theater and to be working with Ed Morgan for the first time. At Great Lakes, he has choreographed TheComedy of Errors, Into the Woods, Bat Boy: TheMusical, and Much Ado About Nothing. He most recently staged the critically acclaimed Bloody,Bloody Andrew Jackson and Xanadu for Beck Center for the Arts. Favorite productions include NineThe Musical; Equus; Smokey Joe’s Café; Five GuysNamed Moe;...
Esther M. Haberlen
Costume Designer
Nine seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Esther is thrilled to make her Hanna Theatre debut on this production. Previous Designs with GLT Outreach: On the Dark Side of Twilight, Tales of the Decameron, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, Double Heart. With GLT/CMSD All-City Musical – Dreamgirls, Bubbling BrownSugar, Fame. Other theater: The Misanthrope (Cleveland Play House/CWRU); The Secretaries, Sleep Deprivation Chamber, Fever Dream, Chalk Circle, The Santaland Diaries (Cleveland Public Theatre);The Little Dog Laughed (Beck Center); Tigers Be Still, Humble Boy, Dead Man’s Cell Phone, Mirror Circle Transformation, The Pillowman, A Number(Dobama Theater); South Pacific (Jewish Community Center); You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown, The Wizard of Oz, Peter Pan, Charlotte’s Web, The Hobbit (Willoughby Fine Arts Association). Opera: Semele, Orpheus in the Underworld (Baldwin Wallace Conservatory); Die Zauberflöte, La Finta Gardiniera, The Impressario, Suor Angelica (Cleveland Institute of Music); Lead Gowns for Salomé with Opera Cleveland and various productions for Cleveland Opera on Tour. Esther joined the staff of GLT in 2003 as Wardrobe Crew, working as Stitcher, Wardrobe Supervisor, and Draper along the way to her current position as Costume Director for GLT, Idaho Shakespeare and Lake Tahoe Shakespeare. Esther holds a BFA in Costume Design from the State University of New York – Fredonia and has also worked regionally for such theaters as the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, Pittsburgh Public Theater and The Chautauqua Conservatory. Much love and thanks to her amazing friends and colleagues in the shop and backstage for their enormous talent and support; and to her husband Richard, who makes everything and anything possible. Nine seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Esther is thrilled to make her Hanna Theatre debut on this production. Previous Designs with GLT Outreach: On the Dark Side of Twilight, Tales of the Decameron, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, Double Heart. With GLT/CMSD All-City Musical – Dreamgirls, Bubbling BrownSugar, Fame. Other theater: The Misanthrope (Cleveland Play House/CWRU); The Secretaries, Sleep Deprivation Chamber, Fever Dream, Chalk Circle, The Santaland Diaries (Cleveland Public Theatre);The Little Dog Laughed (Beck...
Hugh Landwehr
Scenic Designer
Great Lakes Theater debut: Hugh Landwehr’s work on Broadway has included productions of Frozen, Bus Stop, All My Sons and A View From The Bridge. Off-Broadway, he has designed Beyond The Horizon, Last Easter, Scattergood, Filumena and The Baby Dance, among others. He has had long and productive relationships with many regional theaters in the United States, including the Alley Theater in Houston, Texas; Long Wharf Theatre New Haven, Connecticut; CENTERSTAGE in Baltimore, Maryland; the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis, Minnesota; Seattle Repertory Theatre and The Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, D.C. During the summer, he has designed at the Berkshire Theatre Festival, the Williamstown Theatre Festival and the Westport Country Playhouse. He is a member of the faculty of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, and has taught at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the North Carolina School of the Arts and Williams College. He is proud to have twice been the recipient of NEA grants as an Associate Artist, to have won the Murphy Award in Design (administered by Long Wharf Theatre) and to be the 2003 winner of the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Set Design. He was educated at Yale College. Great Lakes Theater debut: Hugh Landwehr’s work on Broadway has included productions of Frozen, Bus Stop, All My Sons and A View From The Bridge. Off-Broadway, he has designed Beyond The Horizon, Last Easter, Scattergood, Filumena and The Baby Dance, among others. He has had long and productive relationships with many regional theaters in the United States, including the Alley Theater in Houston, Texas; Long Wharf Theatre New Haven, Connecticut; CENTERSTAGE in Baltimore, Maryland; the...
Stephen LeGrand
Sound Designer
Great Lakes Theater debut: Stephen LeGrand has composed music and designed sound for theaters throughout the country, including Roundabout Theatre Company, The Public Theater, Manhattan Theatre Club, Huntington Theatre Company, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Alliance Theatre Company, Mark Taper Forum, Roundhouse Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre and La Jolla Playhouse. He served as Resident Sound Designer at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco for 12 years before relocating to Savannah, where he is currently serving as the Graduate Coordinator of the Sound Design program at the Savannah College of Art and Design. Great Lakes Theater debut: Stephen LeGrand has composed music and designed sound for theaters throughout the country, including Roundabout Theatre Company, The Public Theater, Manhattan Theatre Club, Huntington Theatre Company, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Alliance Theatre Company, Mark Taper Forum, Roundhouse Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre and La Jolla Playhouse. He served as Resident Sound Designer at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco for 12 years before relocating to Savannah, where he is...
Rick Martin
Lighting Designer
Twelve seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Many productions with GLT and ISF. Other theater: US premiere of Kurt Weil’s Marie Galante (Opèra Français de NY); Hekabe, The Illiad and The Rage of Achilles with Music-Theatre Group (New York and Santa Fe); and The Bitter Tears ofPetra van Kant (Henry Miller Theatre, New York). Opera: Le Diable dans le beffroi, La Chute de laMaison Usher (Opéra national de Paris – scenery and lighting), Castor et Pollux, Pellèas et Mèllisande and To Be Sung (Opéra Français de NY), Dialoguesdes Carmèlites, Cenerentola (Opéra de Toulon) and Romèo et Juliette (Spoleto Festival USA). Concerts: Harawi (Opèra Comique, Paris – scenery and lighting), Le martyre de Saint Sèbastien (Citè de la Musique, Paris and Arsenal, Metz), Orchestre national de Lyon and the Orchestre de Champs Élysées (Lyon, Poitiers, Buenos Aires, Montevideo, São Paulo). Coming up: US tour of Harawi, 2014. Twelve seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Many productions with GLT and ISF. Other theater: US premiere of Kurt Weil’s Marie Galante (Opèra Français de NY); Hekabe, The Illiad and The Rage of Achilles with Music-Theatre Group (New York and Santa Fe); and The Bitter Tears ofPetra van Kant (Henry Miller Theatre, New York). Opera: Le Diable dans le beffroi, La Chute de laMaison Usher (Opéra national de Paris – scenery and lighting), Castor et...
Corrie E. Purdum
Stage Manager
Nine seasons at Great Lakes Theater: GLT: The Taming of the Shrew, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, A Christmas Carol, The Tempest, Measure for Measure, The Crucible, Into the Woods, The Comedy of Errors, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Bat Boy: The Musical, Othello, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Cabaret, The Mousetrap, Sondheim on Sondheim, The Winter’s Tale, Much Ado About Nothing and Guys and Dolls. Other credits include The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) at Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, nine seasonswith Idaho Shakespeare Festival, six seasons withCleveland Play House and three seasons withCain Park. Corrie is an alumna of Baldwin-Wallace College, where she teaches stage management.Thanks to her family for their constantsupport. Nine seasons at Great Lakes Theater: GLT: The Taming of the Shrew, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, A Christmas Carol, The Tempest, Measure for Measure, The Crucible, Into the Woods, The Comedy of Errors, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Bat Boy: The Musical, Othello, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Cabaret, The Mousetrap, Sondheim on Sondheim, The Winter’s Tale, Much Ado About Nothing and Guys and Dolls. Other credits...
Tim Kinzel
Stage Manager
Five seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Previous stage manager credits for Great Lakes Theater include A Midsummer Night’s Dream, AnIdeal Husband, The Complete Works of WilliamShakespeare (Abridged), The Taming of the Shrew,Romeo & Juliet, The Imaginary Invalid, BlitheSpirit, Much Ado About Nothing, Richard III, AChristmas Carol and Deathtrap. Assistant stage manager credit for Great Lakes Theater includes The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Tim has multiple stage management credits from the following companies: Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Playwrights Horizon, Cherry Lane Theater NYC and Houston’s Stages Repertory Theatre. He also holds multiple production assistant and intern credits with Alley Theater, Houston Grand Opera and Stages Repertory Theater. Love to his family, friends and Cleveland who have supported him and the arts over the years. Let’s Go Tribe! Five seasons at Great Lakes Theater: Previous stage manager credits for Great Lakes Theater include A Midsummer Night’s Dream, AnIdeal Husband, The Complete Works of WilliamShakespeare (Abridged), The Taming of the Shrew,Romeo & Juliet, The Imaginary Invalid, BlitheSpirit, Much Ado About Nothing, Richard III, AChristmas Carol and Deathtrap. Assistant stage manager credit for Great Lakes Theater includes The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Tim has multiple stage management credits from the following companies: Lake Tahoe Shakespeare...
Tuesday, April 02, 2013
Shakespearean comedy at its highest level. Bravo! Bravo! Bravo!
By BroadwayWorld.com
A wonderfully delightful MUCH ADO at Great Lakes Theater
By Roy Berko
Boy hates girl. Girl hates boy. Boy overhears that girl is secretly in love with boy; girl hears vice versa. Other boy and girl love each other, but something gets in the way of their happiness. That's the basic premise of MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, which is now on stage at Great Lakes Theatre. Throw in a couple of interesting subplots, including an idiotic sheriff, a phony death, an irrational lover (is there any other kind?), and a vengeful half-brother, and you have the makings of one of William Shakespeare's best comedies. In fact, the fifth best of all of the Bard's plays, according to a renowned Shakespeare expert.
MUCH ADO, first published in 1600, was first performed during the winter of 1612-13 during the festivities preceding the marriage of Princess Elizabeth and Frederick Palatine. It proved to be a sublime battle of wit and will, much like the Bard's other superb comedy, TAMING OF THE SHREW.
What makes the script very welcoming to North American audiences is that the majority of the text is written in prose, rather than in traditional Shakespeare rhyme. This allows for an ease in understanding the language. GLT's production goes one step further and uses basic Midwestern pronunciation, to further aid.
The story, which Shakespeare set in the sixteenth century in Messina, Sicily, concerns two parallel love stories. One, between Beatrice, she of quick mind and sharp tongue and her love/hate relationship with Benedick, who also verbally thrusts and parries with Beatrice. Their match makes for one of the comic tracks of the script.
Then there is the match between handsome Claudio and the beautiful Hero, who fall in love and are to get married. Unfortunately for the duo, the villainous Don John slanders Hero with a false tale of sexual infidelity. The planned wedding turns out to be a shameful disaster when the prospective groom reveals his repulsion for his bride-to-be's lack of chastity.
A fake death, uncovering of the nefarious plot against Hero by a quartet of bumbling police, Beatrice and Benedick overcoming their need for being the winner in their battle of wits, and a happy-ever-after ending, brings the play to a happy conclusion.
In this script, Shakespeare's attitudes toward courtship, romance, social realities, marrying for social betterment to ensure inheritance, and female chastity, all roll out.
What makes MUCH ADO intriguing is that it combines many of Shakespeare's best writing styles...farce, comedy and drama. This is also what makes the play so difficult to produce. Few directors and casts can pull off all of the various performance levels. Fortunately for area audiences, director Sharon Ott has razor sharp control of all the elements, and her cast and production crew are up to their end of the task. She nicely transforms the plot into the 1920s. This image is aided by Esther Haberlen's period-correct costumes, Hugh Landwehr's fragmented artistic scenery and designs, and Rick Martin's lighting.
Ott has clearly separated the dramatic reality, the comic elements and the over-the-top farce...a hard thing to do. Her cast understands the differences and paces, pauses and stresses to create the right effects.
The staging is aided by the creative choreography of Martin Céspedes. He uses Charleston dance moves of the '20s, combined with some hints of Shakespearean attitudes. Even the scene changes and exits and entrances have choreographic images. The classically trained actors look at ease doing dance steps, which, for most of them, my be a performance stretch.
Cassandra Bissell is spot on as the sarcastic Beatrice. She is balanced by J. Todd Adams (Benedick), who matches her barb for barb, in spite of a distracting fake beard. Their interactions are like watching well choreographed verbal sword fights.
Betsy Mugavero is charming as lovely Hero. Neil Brookshire nicely balances both the love-struck and dramatic scenes with fidelity.
David Anthony Smith well portrays Don Pedro, while Juan Rivera Lebron is evil incarnate as Don John, the villain of the story. He was so convincing that on opening night, he received boos from the audience during the curtain call.
Laurie Birmingham was her usual delightful self as Antonia, Hero's mother. David McCann was her equal as her husband.
DougFred Miller as the bumbling constable, and M. A. Taylor as his sidekick, Verges, nearly stole the show with their keystone cops personas. The duo was so over the top realistic that they achieved farce at its highest level, having us laugh with, rather than at, a difficult task indeed.
Capsule judgement: GLT's MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, under the creative and disciplined direction of Sharon Ott, and choreography by Martin Céspedes, is Shakespearean comedy at its highest level. Bravo! Bravo! Bravo!
A wonderfully delightful MUCH ADO at Great Lakes Theater
By Roy Berko
Boy hates girl. Girl hates boy. Boy overhears that girl is secretly in love with boy; girl hears vice versa. Other boy and girl love each other, but something gets in the way of their happiness. That's the basic premise of MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, which is now on stage at Great Lakes Theatre. Throw in a couple of interesting...
Monday, April 08, 2013
"...as good as it gets."
By The News Herald
By Bob Abelman
Beatrice and Benedick have been bickering for more than 400 years and, remarkably, it never gets old. Although Shakespeare did not invent the "I hate you/I love you" dynamic tension that drives romantic comedies, the hesitant affection these two display in "Much Ado About Nothing," on stage at Great Lakes' Hanna Theatre, is as good as it gets.
Returning from war, Don Pedro (David Anthony Smith), Prince of Aragon, his two friends and noblemen Benedick (J. Todd Adams) and Claudio (Neil Brookshire), and Don Pedro's bastard brother Don John (Juan Rivera Lebron) are guests at the home of Leonato (David McCan), the governor of Messina. While being wined and dined, the young Claudio is attracted to, woos and wins the lovely Hero (Betsy Mugavero), the governor's daughter, while confirmed bachelor Benedick reignites his much fraught relationship with Leonato's niece, the man-hating, marriage-repelling spitfire Beatrice (Cassandra Bissell). While Don Pedro creates a clever deception that will hopefully bring Beatrice and Benedick together, the black-hearted Don John plots to ruin the festivities by maliciously undermining Hero's reputation and destroying her pending marriage to Claudio.
What makes "Much Ado" so intriguing is that the vast majority of its gloriously overstuffed sentences are written in prose rather than the poetic verse that typically dominates Shakespeare's comedies. This gives "Much Ado" a more modern feel, which not only renders it more accessible to today's audiences but makes it particularly amenable to a restaging in more modern times-something Great Lakes Theater does remarkably well and with relish.
When last performed 12 years ago, Great Lakes' troupe transported this play to post-World War II Italy. This time around, the post-World War I era serves as its backdrop.
While many of these restagings of the Bard's work are intended to shed light or offer perspective on the work itself - such as turning the 1590s reverie "A Midsummer's Night Dream" into a 1960s hallucination - this production merely employs time travel for the fun of it. A jazz-era motif gives way to Esther M. Haberlen eye-candy costuming and Martín Céspedes' delightful ragtime choreography, and allows the two, stale Elizabethan songs to become something Rudy Vallée would have crooned. It also, arguably, gives the director license to reduce Shakespeare's five-act text to a more conformative and comfortable two.
The post-World War I context also justifies the Key Stone Cop-like slapstick infused into scenes featuring the addle-minded and asinine Constable Dogberry (a terrific Dougfred Miller) and his wonderfully dim-witted assistant, Verges (M.A. Taylor). It's Dogberry and Verges wo discover Don Pedro's deception and, in their own nonsensical and genuinely hilarious way, save the day.
Sharon Ott's brilliant direction gravitates toward and embellishes these and other comedic moments since, as she acknowledges in the playbill's Director's Note, "Much Ado" doesn't have the famous speeches of "As You Like It" or clever subplots of "Twelfth Night." What it does have in spades is the fascinating dynamic between its central couple. Amidst the extreme lighthearted and darker elements in this play, a production of "Much Ado" is only as good as its Beatrice and Benedick.
As Beatrice, Bissell delivers a formidable, sharp-tongued and quick-witted feminist while never losing - even when dressed in a man's tuxedo - the alluring feminine qualities that eventually reels in a reluctant Benedick. Both the character and the actor are forces to be reckoned with.
She is matched by J. Todd Adams as Benedick. While the two together lack sufficient tension to be believable-dueling with Shakespeare's dialogue as if it were too precious a thing to be vehemently spit out - he, on his own, owns the stage and is at his best when dueling with himself over his conflicted feelings about Beatrice. In fact, Adams establishes a more affectionate rapport with the audience than he does with Bissell's Beatrice.
These two are surrounded by a talented ensemble of performers, each turning in interesting and complementary performances that give this production a pleasant fluidity and, upon occasion, wings.
By Bob Abelman
Beatrice and Benedick have been bickering for more than 400 years and, remarkably, it never gets old. Although Shakespeare did not invent the "I hate you/I love you" dynamic tension that drives romantic comedies, the hesitant affection these two display in "Much Ado About Nothing," on stage at Great Lakes' Hanna Theatre, is as good as it gets.
Returning from war, Don Pedro (David Anthony Smith), Prince of Aragon,...
Tuesday, April 02, 2013
"Great Lakes Theater offers a fresh, jazzy 'Much Ado About Nothing'"
By The Plain Dealer
By Andrea Simakis
For years, theater and literary critics alike have supped on glitches in logic and characterization in "Much Ado About Nothing."
They have carped about its opaque villain, Don John -- sure, he's the bastard brother of Don Pedro, the Prince of Aragon, but is that enough reason to ruin the lives of lovebirds Hero and Claudio?
And they have bemoaned Hero's meek defense of her honor when Claudio calls her a "rotten orange" on their wedding day -- and that's the nicest thing the guy has to say about her -- then dumps her in front of God and everybody.
("Why in the world did not Hero . . . prove an 'alibi,' in answer to the charge?" Lewis Carroll griped in a letter to actress Ellen Terry after seeing her in the play at the Lyceum Theatre in 1883.)
But William Shakespeare's comedy has two unassailable assets -- sparring lovers Beatrice and Benedick. They are the Elizabethan version of Hepburn and Tracy and just as fun to watch, especially when played with the right mixture of wit and spite, the perfectly balanced Prohibition-era cocktail served up by Cassandra Bissell and J. Todd Adams in the Great Lakes Theater production of "Much Ado" at a preview performance Friday. (More on that Prohibition reference in a moment.)
But oh, how those two detest each other -- the only thing they hate more is marriage, an institution they consider perverse.
"I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow than a man swear he loves me," Beatrice announces. She likens Benedick to "pestilence," warning her cousin Hero (a dewy, affecting Betsy Mugavero) that if her beau Claudio "have caught the Benedick," the cure will cost him a thousand pounds. Of course, Benedick doesn't take such verbal lashes laying down.
"I would my horse had the speed of your tongue . . ." Benedick says to the woman he calls "my dear Lady Disdain. Are you yet living?" he asks.
"Is it possible disdain should die while she hath such meet food to feed it as Signor Benedick?" Beatrice shoots back sweetly.
Their first scene together has to crackle and fizz with the sexual tension of all great love-hate pairings, their bickering elevated to a noxious art. Is Beatrice poised to rip Benedick's eyes out? Or would she rather he tear her clothes off? Bissell and Adams expertly dance -- or rather, Charleston -- along that thin line between lust and loathing.
The other joy of this sleek, good-looking production directed by Sharon Ott is that it is set in a post-World War I landscape, complete with flappers, Jazz Age masquerade parties and Beatrice -- in a nod to her desire to taste the freedom of men -- dressed for that party in a "Victor/Victoria" top hat and tails.
The mood is set before the show begins, as the crowd is ushered into the theater to the strains of "Rhapsody in Blue" and other standards from a soundtrack that would delight Woody Allen.
Ott and her team have created a fully realized universe, a seductive, consistent vision that is pulled through every costume and prop.
Don John (a taciturn, uniformed Juan Rivera Lebron) is a wounded warrior; he is missing an arm, and one side of his face is marked with an angry, melty scar. The fools of the piece -- bumbling night watchmen and their leader, the constable Dogberry (Dougfred Miller, in a bristling, Baron von Munchausen handlebar 'stache) -- take their slapstick cues from the Keystone Cops.
An Art Deco gold metallic screen that appears to have been riddled with bullets from a giant machine gun serves as a backdrop, a whiff of the carnage of the battlefield that permeated the raucous, Roaring '20s.
Esther M. Haberlen's formal wear (intricate beading, dropped-waist bodices) and weekend casual (nautical themes, satin pajamas) are splendid and tap a "Great Gatsby" fineness.
The world that emerged from "the war to end all wars" was one desperate for light, life and true romance.
"Serve God, love me, and mend," Benedick tells Beatrice, once he realizes that his Lady Disdain has become his raison d'etre.
While it's common for companies to stage Shakespeare's plays in any era but his own, often with foggy reasons for doing so, Ott and company have cannily placed "Much Ado" in a world on the mend. What a swell idea.
By Andrea Simakis
For years, theater and literary critics alike have supped on glitches in logic and characterization in "Much Ado About Nothing."
They have carped about its opaque villain, Don John -- sure, he's the bastard brother of Don Pedro, the Prince of Aragon, but is that enough reason to ruin the lives of lovebirds Hero and Claudio?
And they have bemoaned Hero's meek defense of her honor when Claudio calls her...
Thursday, April 04, 2013
"...this night at the Hanna Theatre is unforgettable...Go see this show!"
By The New 102FM
By Kory
Let me start by saying, I am not usually a fan of Shakespeare. Yes, that is primarily from a lack of understanding of the language…ok…that's really all it is. I have avoided reviewing the man's work for almost a year now. Saturday night, I decided to try again. I am so glad I did!
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING tells a multi-layered story about love and deception. This play, like much of Shakespeare's work, exists in the place where those two qualities intersect. In fact, the first lesson I learned from MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING? Never plot evil at a masquerade ball. You never know if the person you are plotting to double cross is in fact, the person you are talking to! Don John makes that mistake and with evil trickery in progress, we watch romances live and die around his plot. But, the good guy always wins, right?
For me, watching a show in Shakespearean language is like overhearing a conversation in a tongue you only partially understand. You pick up words here and there, but occasionally find yourself struggling to catch up. Thankfully for me I had a notepad. Here's what I jotted down. Benedick (J. Todd Adams) loves Beatrice (Cassandra Bissell), but she doesn't feel the same way…yet. Claudio (Neil Brookshire) loves Hero (Betsy Mugavero), until Don John (Juan Rivera Lebron) interferes with evil trickery with Borachio (Darren Matthias). Confused yet? Don't worry, when you see the show, all will make sense.
The talented cast and crew, lead by director Sharon Ott, takes this medieval soap opera, pulls it into the 1920's and makes it easy to understand for the casual theatre-goer. J. Todd Adams is remarkable as Benedick and really seems to be the glue that holds the show together. Cassandra Bissell is witty and classy as Beatrice. Eric Damon Smith is hilarious as Balthasar, and as the priest. The real surprises come from the 'keystone cops' style slapstick performances of Dogberry (Dougfred Miller) and Verges (M.A. Taylor).
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING is delightfully staged in a cool modern art elegance with 1920's elements sprinkled throughout. The cast is superb, the storytelling effective and the overall experience of this night at the Hanna Theatre is unforgettable. You heard it here folks, I'm giving MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING…by William Shakespeare…a good review. Go see this show!
By Kory
Let me start by saying, I am not usually a fan of Shakespeare. Yes, that is primarily from a lack of understanding of the language…ok…that's really all it is. I have avoided reviewing the man's work for almost a year now. Saturday night, I decided to try again. I am so glad I did!
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING tells a multi-layered story about love and deception. This play, like much...
Sunday, March 31, 2013
"...this is a great performance...This show has everything going for it."
By Examiner.com
By Mark Horning
Being a relative newcomer to Shakespeare, I have a simple method for judging the quality of the performance. If in spite of the nearly foreign sounding Early Modern English and iambic pentameter that Shakespeare wrote in I am able to fully understand the play then this is a good performance. If it is a comedy and I find myself laughing at 500 year old jokes, then this is a great performance.
Needless to say, anytime that Great Lakes Theater tackles any of the Bard of Avon's works rest assured it is going to be a great performance indeed. Thus it is most true in their latest offering, "Much Ado About Nothing" playing through April 14 at the Hanna Theatre. This show has everything going for it. To start with it is one of Shakespeare's most beloved comedies, and for another the actors do not allow Shakespeare to get in the way of the performance. That is to say that they perform the play rather than recite it. Everyone on stage plays to the audience. The stage is simply done with minimalistic use of props. The costuming and era are set in the roaring 20's which takes some of the stuffiness out of the work and the lighting gives full illumination to the work and is well used throughout especially during the somber moments.
The entire strength of the play hinges on whether the characters of Benedick and Beatrice can convince the audience of their love/hate relationship. J. Todd Adams and Cassandra Bissell rise to the challenge and excel in their roles. David McCann as Leonato and Laurie Birmingham as his wife Antonia (father and mother of Hero, played by Betsy Mugavero and Uncle and Aunt of Beatrice, again played by Cassandra Bissell) bring a full range of talent and emotion to the roles from unabashed gaiety to heart wrenching pathos. Hero (played by Betsy Mugavero) and Claudio (played by Neil Brookshire) are the love struck couple who fall hopelessly in love, are tricked out of love and (thank goodness) fall in love again at the end. The saboteur is Don John (played to sinister perfection by Juan Rivera Lebron), the bastard brother of Don Pedro (played by David Anthony Smith).
The tale revolves around a visit by Don Pedro (accompanied by Don John, Benedick, Claudio and Balthasar (Don Pedro's attendant, played by Eric Damon Smith)) to Leonato and Antonia's home where they are invited to stay for a month or more to relax from the rigors of a recent war. Claudio falls in love with Hero (daughter of Leonato and Antonia) and a verbal war flairs between Beatrice and Benedick.
Don Pedro then enlists the help of Leonato and Claudio as well as Hero's companions Ursula (played by Karen Thorla) and Margaret (played by Maggie Kettering) to develop a scheme to get Benedick and Beatrice to fall in love. Claudio and Hero become engaged and Don John (who had failed in a recent rebellion against Don Pedro) plots to bring tragedy and disgrace to the families. He hires Conrade (played by Drew Kopas) and Borachio (played by Darren Matthias) as henchmen to stage a false love tryst between Borachio and a female accomplice (acting as Claudio and Hero) that he leads Claudio and Don Pedro to discover the night before the wedding. The next day Claudio denounces his love for Hero is challenged to a duel by Benedick and all looks grim. Cool heads prevail as Friar Francis gets the family to sequester Hero for the time being saying that she has died of a broken heart.
Luckily for all, the first and second watch (Austin Blunk and Steven J. West) under the employ of Dogberry, Master Constable (played to the hilt by Dougfred Miller) and Verges, a headborough, (played also exceptionally well by M.A. Taylor) overhear a drunken Borachio spill the beans about the false love tryst who as a group arrest and bring Conrade and Borachio to justice. The Sexton (played by Laurie Birmingham) sends the group to the home of Leonato to clear the air as Don John flees the country. Claudio (who has been wrongly told that Hero has died) is punished by being made to spend the night at the "tomb" of Hero and is "forced" to marry Hero's "cousin" (who is in fact Hero) and at the veiled ceremony the next day all is revealed and the happy couple reunited. Benedick and Beatrice are forced to realize their true love for each other and all is well once more as a dance breaks out to celebrate.
Shakespearian plays are, to say the least, an acquired taste. We in Cleveland are extremely fortunate to have such a great company of actors and actresses who really put the effort necessary to pull off an extraordinary performance. If you have not seen Shakespeare in any form, I implore you to see this production. You will become an instant fan and will not be able to wait for the next stellar performance. Come see why this man's plays have lasted for over 500 years.
Special note must be made of the behind the scenes crew and the exceptional job they did that truly added to the performance this includes: Sharon Ott,, director; Hugh Landwehr, Scenic Designer; Esther M Haberlen, Costume Designer; Rick Martin, Lighting Designer; Stephen LeGrand, Sound Designer; Martin Céspedes, Choreographer and Corrie E. Purdum and Tim Kinzel, Stage Managers as well as member of the Ensemble Cast: Austin Blunk, Kyle Carthens, Laurel Hoffman and Steven J. West.
By Mark Horning
Being a relative newcomer to Shakespeare, I have a simple method for judging the quality of the performance. If in spite of the nearly foreign sounding Early Modern English and iambic pentameter that Shakespeare wrote in I am able to fully understand the play then this is a good performance. If it is a comedy and I find myself laughing at 500 year old jokes, then this is...
Wednesday, April 03, 2013
"...[a] laugh-filled romp, presented with lively energy...snap and crackle."
By Cleveland Scene
By Christine Howey
Life is full of contradictions. Teachers tell their students not to lie, then, at some point, they hand them Shakespeare's plays, which are so filled with lies and counterfeits of various sorts that the mind boggles.
So it is with the beloved comedy Much Ado About Nothing, now at the Great Lakes Theater. You'd be hard pressed to find a single character who isn't lying in this laugh-filled romp, presented with lively energy and dialogue delivered with plenty of snap and crackle.
Indeed, the comic momentum established by the players under Sharon Ott's pneumatic direction almost hides a hollow spot at the core of this effort that would severely dent a less captivating production.
Returning warrior lords Benedick and Claudio, in service to Don Pedro, the Prince of Aragon, seek some female companionship in Messina. Claudio (an earnestly naive Neil Brookshire) is attracted to the demure Hero (Betsy Mugavero), daughter of Messina's Governor Leonato (David McCann), but confirmed bachelor Benedick has a much more fraught relationship with Leonato's niece, the spitfire Beatrice.
All this is pure fun for Don Pedro, who loves playing Cupid, so he devises a scheme to bring oil and water, er, Benedick and Beatrice together. This is where the deceptions start, as various characters are tasked to lie about Benedick's love for Beatrice and vice versa, within earshot of each, so their heads might be turned towards romance.
Darker skullduggery is also in play as Don John (Juan Rivera Lebron), Don Pedro's bastard brother, plots to ruin his brother's frolics by falsely besmirching the reputation of Hero and ending her storybook love affair with Don Pedro's favored lord Claudio.
The gullible Claudio and honor-obsessed Don Pedro are taken in, until they see the light and yet another deception is launched to bring forth a happy resolution.
As Beatrice, Cassandra Bissell is thoroughly believable, and immensely funny, as this sharp-edged, independent woman ("I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow than a man swear he loves me.").
She is matched snark-for-snark by J. Todd Adams as Benedick ("I wish my horse had the speed of your tongue."), a man so supremely confident-well, he can stop the birds chirping with a sharp glance-that he feels himself impervious to the vulnerabilities of love.
Excellent as they are individually, one never quite gets the sense of Bissell's Beatrice and Adams' Benedick aching with love for each other beneath their surface jousting. This kind of chemistry is devilishly hard to capture on stage, and perhaps it will grow as the show's run progresses.
In addition to those mentioned above, there are other fine performances in support of our two battling lovebirds. David Anthony Smith makes Don Pedro an appealing and enthusiastic matchmaker, and Laurie Brimingham has a couple stellar moments as both Antonia, the feisty wife of Leonato, and as a sexton.
Of course, Shakespeare always makes room for the clowns in his comedies and here they are represented by the Keystone Kops, which is appropriate since the play is set in the 1920s. Constable Dogberry and his assistant Verges arrive on a tricycle equipped with flip-chart visual aids for their scene.
As Dogberry, Dougfred Miller nicely channels George C. Scott (circa Dr. Strangelove), blustering amusingly as he grapples with multiple malapropisms. And M.A. Taylor as Verges once again shuffles and slouches his way through another part as an I.Q.-deficient lowlife.
This is a fast-paced show that's quite pleasing to the eye, thanks to Hugh Landwehr's handsome set accented with copper mesh foliage and Esther M. Haberlen's lush period costumes.
Thanks to Ott's clever and precise direction, there's not a whit of deception in saying that this is a most entertaining way to spend upwards of 2½ hours.
By Christine Howey
Life is full of contradictions. Teachers tell their students not to lie, then, at some point, they hand them Shakespeare's plays, which are so filled with lies and counterfeits of various sorts that the mind boggles.
So it is with the beloved comedy Much Ado About Nothing, now at the Great Lakes Theater. You'd be hard pressed to find a single character who isn't lying in this laugh-filled romp,...
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
"There is much to delight in the masterful production...Miss the show; miss a lot."
By Cleveland Jewish News
By Fran Heller
There is much to delight in the masterful production of Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing" at Great Lakes Theater. The comedy may be more than four centuries old, but in director Sharon Ott's freshly minted vision it feels entirely new.
The magic begins with the blare of an ocean liner, the sound of marching soldiers and the beat of the Charleston, transporting the audience to the Tuscan countryside in the postwar years and the Roaring Twenties.
The blend of the continents Europe and America is vividly depicted in Hugh Landwehr's gauzy abstract of a world map hovering over the stage.
When the play begins, soldiers have just returned from some unnamed war, eager for the music, dancing and merriment this exuberant production delivers in spades.
"The course of true love never did run smooth" (from "A Midsummer Night's Dream") aptly describes "Much Ado," in which pairs of would-be lovers Claudio (Neil Brookshire) and Hero (Betsy Mugavero) and Beatrice (Cassandra Bissell) and Benedick (J. Todd Adams) are put through a number of hoops before they tie the knot.
The gulling of Beatrice and Benedick in which each is tricked into believing the other loves them is a comedic highlight. In like manner, the duping of Claudio and Don Pedro (David Anthony Smith) by the evil Don John (Juan Rivera Lebron), in which the chaste Hero is falsely accused of being a strumpet, skirts the tragic.
A key theme in Shakespeare is faulty perception. The "nothing" in the title is a pun on 'noting,' and how almost everyone fails to see what is true and what is false.
A father turns a blind eye to his daughter's innocence and is quick to believe in her guilt, as do Claudio and Don Pedro. Beatrice and Benedick remain stubbornly blind to their true feelings, until a ruse forces them to see what they mean to one another.
Ironically, a dimwitted constable and his illiterate sidekicks are the only ones who perceive the truth.
Bissell and Adams steal the show with a fusillade of wit as sparring lovers. The scene in which a stammering Beatrice and Benedick declare love for each other had me in stitches. Later, a mutually sincere recognition of their need for one another moved me deeply.
Brookshire captures the intemperate Claudio, whose only justification for his deplorable behavior can be attributed to rash youthfulness and naivete.
Mugavero is a sweetheart as the dreamy-eyed Hero, whose downfall, and public humiliation by her raging father Leonato (a mercurial David McCann) is almost too much to bear. Director Ott takes dramatic license in converting Antonio, Leonato's brother, into Antonia, Leonato's wife (a sharp-tongued Laurie Birmingham), striking a funny, if incongruous, note.
Drawing a page from the Keystone Cops, Dougfred Miller is hilarious as the illiterate constable Dogberry, sputtering malapropisms. Also hilarious: M.A. Taylor as his elderly sidekick Verges, though their shtick goes on too long. The scene in which Dogberry and Verges teach the ignorant watchmen with cartoon illustrations is but one example of the director's copious imagination and marvelous sense of humor.
Smith overdoes the comedy as matchmaker Don Pedro, but there is a hint of melancholy in his mien when he vainly pursues Beatrice's hand in marriage at the beginning and remains the only one without a wife at the end.
Esther M. Haberlen's mouth-watering costumes, Rick Martin's lush lighting and Martin Céspedes' spirited choreography complete the allure.
This is the final weekend to catch "Much Ado." Miss the show; miss a lot.
By Fran Heller
There is much to delight in the masterful production of Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing" at Great Lakes Theater. The comedy may be more than four centuries old, but in director Sharon Ott's freshly minted vision it feels entirely new.
The magic begins with the blare of an ocean liner, the sound of marching soldiers and the beat of the Charleston, transporting the audience to the Tuscan countryside in...
Tuesday, April 02, 2013
"Congratulations!...we loved it..."
By Christen (patron email)
Congratulations! I brought my budding actress fourteen year old daughter to Opening Night of Much Ado About Nothing and we loved it. This was her first live performance of a play by Shakespeare and I couldn't be more thrilled that she asked to see more! Finally, something we can enjoy together:) We'll be back for more.
Tuesday, April 02, 2013
"One of your best productions ever!!!"
By Ken (patron email)
One of your best productions ever!!! In addition to the superb acting and set, I loved the fact that the players didn't try to effect English accents. My sound discrimination is poor, and I often have trouble catching all the lines, especially with American-style English accents. In this play I understood everything, which greatly enhanced my enjoyment. Kudos to all.
Tuesday, April 09, 2013
"It so exceeded my expectations of good, I've been raving about it all weekend."
By Sarah (patron email)
I was thoroughly pleased with the show this weekend. It so exceeded my expectations of "good," I've been raving about it all weekend. Thank you for the excellent cast, the creative time period setting, the gorgeous costumes, and the well-performed slapstick comedy. It was really lovely. Hats off to you!
Thursday, April 11, 2013
"I absolutely loved this production!"
By Nan (patron email)
I absolutely loved this production! Cast was exceptional, across the board, lighting and staging were really good and added to the experience. I left the theater knowing that my beloved Shakespeare lives and has just as much relevance today as he did then. The "modern" touch was soft and fitting--it did not overshadow Shakespeare but added to my fun. Thank you for that. Good job!
"Enhance Your Visit" Events
September 27, 2013
Make the most of your next visit to the Hanna Theatre! Be sure to check out our exciting experience enhancement programming. The unique series of pre- and post-performance events are the perfect complement to your Hanna Theatre outing – no matter what day you attend. Organized by day of week, our Experience Enhancement Programming highlights the Hanna’s unique amenities and affords you access to our artists and creative process. Each of our Experience Enhancement Programming events are offered free as part of your ticket purchase!
HERE'S THE LINEUP FOR "AS YOU LIKE IT":
Shakespeare's Sublime Comedy MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING Headlines the Hanna Theatre This Spring
March 14, 2013
CLEVELAND, OH - Great Lakes Theater (GLT), Cleveland’s Classic Company, continues the second half its 2012-13 season with William Shakespeare comedy, Much Ado About Nothing. The production will be performed in the company’s revolutionary and audience-friendly home at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare, March 29 – April 14, 2013. Sharon Ott directs.
Great Lakes Theater’s production of Much Ado About Nothing is sponsored by PNC. GLT is generously funded by the citizens of Cuyahoga County through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture. In addition, the classic theater company’s 2012-13 season is presented with support from The Cleveland...
Caption/Credit: Great Lakes Theater proudly presents William Shakespeare's sublime battle of wits and wills, "Much Ado About Nothing" at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare, March 29-April 14, 2013. (Photography by TRG Reality).
The acting company celebrates during the final moments of the Great Lakes Theater production of Shakespeare's sublime battle of wits and wills "Much Ado About Nothing" at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare which runs through April 14. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)
Actors Cassandra Bissell (as Beatrice) and J. Todd Adams (as Benedick) share a tender moment in the Great Lakes Theater production of Shakespeare's sublime battle of wits and wills "Much Ado About Nothing" at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare which runs through April 14. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)
Members of the acting company kick up their heels during the finale of the Great Lakes Theater production of Shakespeare's sublime battle of wits and wills "Much Ado About Nothing" at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare which runs through April 14. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)
The bachelor Benedick (actor, third from left, J. Todd Adams) is "busted" by his conspiring cronies Leonato (actor, first from left, David McCann), Claudio (actor, second from left, Neil Brookshire) and Don Pedro (actor, right, David Anthony Smith) in the Great Lakes Theater production of Shakespeare's sublime battle of wits and wills "Much Ado About Nothing" at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare which runs through April 14. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)
Actors Maggie Kettering (left, as Margaret), Cassandra Bissell (center, as Beatrice) and Betsy Mugavero (as Hero) share a private moment on stage in the Great Lakes Theater production of Shakespeare's sublime battle of wits and wills "Much Ado About Nothing" at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare which runs through April 14. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)
Until death do us part? Actor Neil Brookshire (left, as Claudio) suspiciously eyes his bride-to-be, actor Betsy Mugavero (as Hero) as an unsuspecting adjudicator, actor Eric Damon Smith (center, as Friar Francis) watches on in the Great Lakes Theater production of Shakespeare's sublime battle of wits and wills "Much Ado About Nothing" at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare which runs through April 14. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)
Actor Dougfred Miller (center, as Dogberry) mentors a member of his motley band of watchmen (right, actor, Austin Blunk) as his sidekick, actor M.A. Taylor (left, as Verges) watches on in the Great Lakes Theater production of Shakespeare's sublime battle of wits and wills "Much Ado About Nothing" at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare which runs through April 14. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)
Actors Cassandra Bissell (as Beatrice) and J. Todd Adams (as Benedick) share a tender moment in the Great Lakes Theater production of Shakespeare's sublime battle of wits and wills "Much Ado About Nothing" at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare which runs through April 14. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)
Actors Betsy Mugavero (as Hero) and David Anthony Smith (as Don Pedro) share the spotlight during a masquerade party in the Great Lakes Theater production of Shakespeare's sublime battle of wits and wills "Much Ado About Nothing" at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare which runs through April 14. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)
Actor Juan Rivera Lebron (as Don John) sips a drink in the shadows during the Great Lakes Theater production of Shakespeare's sublime battle of wits and wills "Much Ado About Nothing" at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare which runs through April 14. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)
Actors Laurie Birmingham (as Antonia) and David McCann (as Leonato) share a smile during a masquerade party in the Great Lakes Theater production of Shakespeare's sublime battle of wits and wills "Much Ado About Nothing" at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare which runs through April 14. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)
Family feud? Actor Laurie Birmingham (left, as Antonia) and David McCann (center, as Leonato) console their spurned daughter, actor Betsy Mugavero (as Hero), in the Great Lakes Theater production of Shakespeare's sublime battle of wits and wills "Much Ado About Nothing" at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare which runs through April 14. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)
Comedy and tragedy ironically collide when actors Juan Rivera Lebron (left, as Don John) and Neil Brookshire (right, as Claudio) meet during a moment at a masquerade party in the Great Lakes Theater production of Shakespeare's sublime battle of wits and wills "Much Ado About Nothing" at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare which runs through April 14. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)
Actors Neil Brookshire (left, as Claudio), Eric Damon Smith (center, as Balthasar) and David McCann (right, as Leonato) revel as J. Todd Adams (up, as Bendick) eavesdrops in the Great Lakes Theater production of Shakespeare's sublime battle of wits and wills "Much Ado About Nothing" at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare which runs through April 14. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)
Actor Neil Brookshire (left, as Claudio) and David Anthony Smith (right, as Don Pedro) take center stage in the Great Lakes Theater production of Shakespeare's sublime battle of wits and wills "Much Ado About Nothing" at the Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare which runs through April 14. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)
