Much Ado About Nothing (***1/4)

This was my first real exposure to William Shakespeare. Othello, though assigned in high school, went largely unread. I’ve never seen any of the plays live, nor seen any of the movie adaptations. So why not start with this one, whose featherweight plot takes a back seat to dialogue and farce. The key storyline, antagonists who fall in love, has so often been repeated as to become trite. Its multiple misunderstandings (though resulting from trickery, not accident) that propel the story are the stuff of romantic comedies up to the present time. 

 

Unlike Kenneth Branagh’s 1993 version, Josh Wheedon’s contains no big stars, though practically the entire cast have worked with him on earlier projects. These include Amy Acker, who plays Beatrice, Alexis Denisof (Benedick), and Clark Gregg (Leonato), more or less the three leads. Wheedon is known for the fantasy genre, having created Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly and directed the 2012 Avengers movie. No vampires or superheroes inhabit this production,. It is in handsome black and white, signaling artistic intent. The 400-year-old dialogue remains intact. But Wheedon does put a personal stamp on the production, and not just by employing a present-day setting and American accents.

 

Ado is perhaps the most acclaimed of Shakespeare’s comedies. Was it funny? Frequently yes. Probably most of the laughs come from the behavior, facial expressions, and tone of voice rather than the words, and here Wheedon’s contribution is apparent even to one not familiar with the play. The dialogue does take getting used to. I was glad for the basic plot, as it took me some time and some missed lines to adjust to the style and figure out who was who. But I did.

 

IMDb link

viewed 6/17/13 7:30 at Ritz East [PFS screening] and reviewed 6/18 and 7/23/13