by William Shakespeare Old Boys' Theatre 12–14 November 2018
throughout, grins and giggles reigned in the Old Boys’ Theatre. Much Ado About Nothing was originally written around 1598 – over 400 years later, we aimed to bring the Bard’s romantic comedy to life in a new Mexican-inspired performance. Although you can’t miss the romantic elements, this play is, at its heart, a ridiculous comedy about the outlandish affairs of love and marriage. Beatrice and Benedick have always been at loggerheads with each other. One broken heart later and sassy Beatrice (Ash Kelliher) refuses to be taken in by the charming arrogance of Benedick (James Currie), or in fact the love of any man, ever again. Meanwhile,
Claudio (Jamie Barr) recruits the prince, Don Pedro (Reis Azlan), to help him woo the delightful Hero (Saskia Simmers) during a masked dance at the lodgings of Leonata (Harriet Rance). Throw in some scheming machinations from the prince’s brother, Don “ Taking an old tale and turning it into a relevant and joyous piece of theatre is no
Directed by Nikki Bleyendaal and Peter Rutherford “I were but little happy if I could say how much.” Claudio declares that if he described how great his joy was, it would still be little in comparison to how he feels – and I can sympathise. It is difficult to state in a few words the tumult of emotions when something you had hoped for finally comes to fruition. Yet here we are, and I shall do my best. Peter Rutherford and I were agreed – Shakespeare for the masses. Let’s take the Bard’s work and immerse our juniors to see if they, too, fall in love with his literature. Let’s create a fun, fantastical and frenetic production that even the youngest audience member can chuckle Georgia Moynihan’s manic and moustachioed portrayal of the overzealous Constable Dogberry, paired with the subtle classic comedy of a coconut-wearing Sam Kelly as Verges, not to mention an array of comedic performances at. By all accounts, it would appear we succeeded. With
mean feat. ” Nikki Bleyendaal
Christ’s College Canterbury
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