Theater Review
As a More Modern Bard Said: Love Is a Battlefield
'Much Ado' Draws Strong-Willed Soldiers Into War of the Words
Thursday, March 8, 2007; Page PW03
Shakespeare's comedy "Much Ado About Nothing" is a very light frolic through the misadventures of two seemingly mismatched pairs of lovers and the odd turns of events that bring them together.
But there is a very firm center in the person of Beatrice, a feisty and unconventional woman who brandishes a rapier-sharp tongue. She says to all that she disdains marriage. Beatrice's opposite member in this little dance is Benedick, a self-proclaimed confirmed bachelor who is happily bombastic. The two fuss relentlessly at each other, which means, of course, that they are destined for each other. Get these two characters cast properly, and you're halfway home.
  From left, Paul Rubenstein as Leonato, Joe Angel Babb as Don Pedro and Chris Whitney as Claudio in Vpstart Crow's production of William Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing." (Photos By Tim Betts) |
Vpstart Crow Productions, fortunately, has a couple of dynamic pros as Beatrice and Benedick, making several other contrivances seem unnecessary in its current production of the play. Helen Pafumi is a tart Beatrice, but she plays the part with enough innate cheerfulness that she retains the warmth necessary for a love interest. David Snider, likewise, throws off a theaterful of bluster, but with enough twinkle in his eye that we never lose sight of the sensitive guy lurking below the surface. The two are worthy foes, and their scenes together crackle.
Shakespeare set his story in a little town in Sicily, but director Patrick Torres moved it to post-World War II America. But aside from playing some wonderfully rhythmic period music and digging up a lot of military khakis for the men to wear, the era and the story have little to do with each other. If he was determined to put his unique stamp on the bard's work, he might have considered another American milieu.
That's because the underlying theme in this story is one of exaggerated masculinity. The men of this play are strong-willed and assertive, with little regard for the feelings or opinions of the women who surround them.
The relationships among the men seem more enduring than those between any pairings of male and female. For example, the adorable and modest young woman with the odd name of Hero (Megan Dominy) becomes betrothed to the fiery Claudio (Chris Whitney). But a nasty troublemaker named Don John (Jay Mahan) convinces Claudio that Hero is no maiden, and Claudio humiliates her in public on their supposed wedding day, turning a deaf ear to her mild entreaties.
The men, including Hero's father, Leonato (Paul Rubenstein) take cruel Claudio's side, leaving only formidable Beatrice to defend her honor.
The courting scenes between Benedick and Beatrice are comic highlights. As he realizes he is falling for her, Benedick's bluster begins to fade to the point at which Snider is playing him as a bashful flirt in her presence. A scene in which he is batting his eyes at her while she stands in a masculine pose in her Rosie the Riveter outfit, chewing on food and brandishing eating utensils, is a gently funny sight. Eventually their romance melts into a tender love scene.
Through it all, except for the abrasive moments of Hero's public dishonor, Torres wields a light comic touch. There are sight gags and pratfalls, but not so much as to get in the way of the dialogue. While he keeps things moving along at a sprightly pace, he seems careful not to lose sight of the fact that Shakespeare's language is to be cherished and given its due.
Designer James Jones has provided a simple homey setting, complete with white picket fence. But with Beatrice's feminism abloom and machismo looking rather ugly here, that nice garden may just be another battlefield.
"Much Ado About Nothing" continues through March 18, performed by Vpstart Crow Productions at the Cramer Center, 9008 Center St., Old Town Manassas. Showtimes are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.; Sunday matinees, 2 p.m. 800-494-8497 orhttp:/
