BY SHARLEEN NELSON
Review
Much Matchmaking
Southern and Northern Indian Cuisine
Daily Lunch Buffet $6.99 11:30am - 2:30pm
Dinner 5pm - 9:30pm
UT offers lively Much Ado .
F
cocky, confirmed bachelor, Benedick. Griner
proves her versatility by revealing both
Beatrice’s soft, vulnerable side, as well as her
proclivity for launching saucy riposte.
Conversely, Chris Hirsh was born to play
Shakespeare. Like a dashing Errol Flynn,
Hirsch puts in a standout performance, easily
winning over the audience with his quirky
mannerisms and comedic athleticism.
Also putting in fine performances were
Steve Weihmeier as Leonato, Andrew Beck
as Don Pedro, Alexander Dupre as the vil-
lainous Don John, and Brandon Finch, who
is an awesome singer.
Using a simple, no frills set, the produc-
tion crew makes great use of light and shad-
ow to express night and day and different
locales. Although the production doesn’t
strive for authenticity — incorporating
Spanish dances such as the Flamenco and
Tango into choreographed energetic dance
scenes, and the use of brightly colored, non-
Shakespearean period costumes — it all
seems to work. Much Ado runs through
May 23.
ew
or the majority of us, everyday life is
an amalgamation of drama, misper-
ceptions, simple pleasures and the
mundane. Recognizing this, Shakespeare
(and later, writers of shows such as
“Seinfeld”) tapped into these seemingly
unimportant events as a way to appeal to and
entertain an audience. And entertain is pre-
cisely what the University Theatre does in its
production of Much Ado About Nothing.
For those unfamiliar with Shakespeare’s
comedy, here it is in brief: Three friends
return to Messina following a victorious
war. Claudio is promptly smitten with
Hero, the governor’s captivating daughter.
Benedick, a confirmed bachelor, and
Hero’s sharp-tongued cousin, Beatrice, vol-
ley verbal jabs at one another in a merry
war of the sexes. Once Claudio and Hero
get together, they participate in a jolly game
of matchmaking to try to bring Beatrice and
Benedick together. Meanwhile, Don John,
Don Pedro’s spiteful brother, conspires to
ruin Claudio and Hero’s happiness by
enlisting his minions to taint Hero’s reputa-
tion. Believing the lies, Claudio shuns Hero
at the altar. More schemes are hatched,
fools and villains unmasked, misunder-
standings mended, and disclosure in the
end revealing, yes, it’s all been much ado
about nothing.
Playing Claudio and Hero are Jay Hash
and Juliet Strong. Hash is noble as both the
lovesick suitor and the betrayed lover.
Likewise, Strong is delightfully enchanting
and coy. While both put in strong perform-
ances interacting with each another, they
really shine with other members of the cast,
particularly in the highly comedic scenes.
While the main plot evolves around
obstacles to the union of Claudio and Hero,
the play’s sub-plot between the battling
Beatrice and Benedick is much more inter-
esting and entertaining by comparison.
Together, Sarah Griner and Chris Hirsh
play the dynamic duo in their respective roles
as the spunky and assertive Beatrice and the
• Variety of vegetarian entrées
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Cottage Grove Lions Club
Presents:
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Sarah Griner as Beatrice and Chris Hirsh as
Benedick in UT's Much Ado About Nothing.
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Tickets:
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MAY 20, 2004 21