Carleton’s Sock’n Buskin Theatre Company pull off delightfully funny “Much Ado About Nothing”

 

The latest play from Carleton University’s Sock ‘n’ Buskin Theatre Company is the Shakespeare comedy Much Ado About Nothing, set not in Renaissance Italy but in 1970s Ontario cottage country in a bid to explore Shakespeare’s more eternal themes and the balance of seriousness with plenty of frivolity and dance parties.

The play captures the 1970s feel in the colourful set, costuming, and music. Updating Shakespeare’s setting was a fine move on the part of director Olivia Botelho, and the choice of decade heightened the goofy comedy while taking little away from the plot (there were a few occasions when the upbeat disco soundtrack didn’t quite match the darker events of the play).

All the acting was solid. As a student-run company, a few issues had to be overcome, namely the lack of microphones that did render some scenes a little quiet, but everyone worked within those constraints for fine performances. Rachel Stanley gave a standout performance as Beatrice. Nicholas Hepner as Benedick was best in his monologues, but played off Stanley well, and Sheldon Parathundyil’s flamboyant Don Pedro offered wonderful comedic relief, though had to compete with Keara Williams as the disco-fied constable Dogberry for title of best-loved comedic role. Emily Wilson and Thomas Williams also gave solid performances as Hero and Claudio, respectively.

This production of Much Ado About Nothing excelled as a comedy, with no actor failing to get laughs out of the audience. Botelho’s direction also helped, particularly in the hilarious scenes when Benedick and Beatrice are spying on their friends as they plant the seeds for the couple’s future romance. Benedick cowers behind a park bench and lunges behind a fake plant to great comedic effect, while the entire scene involving Beatrice and her attempt at hiding behind a clothes rack was one of the funniest of the play.

While the comedy was good, some of the more serious scenes fell short of the emotional level expected. The first wedding scene, for instance, could have been angrier and with a heightened sense of drama, although the sadness from the female characters was convincing. Much of Donna John’s villainous plot also feels like it plays out in the background, while it could have had a more prominent part in the play.

Nevertheless, Sock ‘n’ Buskin’s Much Ado About Nothing is a very funny play by a talented group of student actors.