MSU students embrace classic Shakespearean comedy with just two twists — the newest play is set on an 18th century Southern plantation and the character commonly played by a man, Dogberry, is played by a woman.
"Much Ado About Nothing," which opens this weekend, uses a bit of Southern charm to put audiences at ease with Shakespeare.
Theater senior Katie Canavan plays Dogberry, the sheriff captain of the night watch. The show's director, Frank Rutledge, described her as a cross between Mary Poppins and "Marian The Librarian" from "The Music Man."
"I think it's added a lot of flavor and warmth to the play," Rutledge said.
Casting Dogberry as a woman has changed a few elements in the play.
"We have sort of made up a few twists and turns in the plot because of the dynamics," Canavan said.
As a result, Canavan has relished in the flexibility of the role.
"The creativity that I'm allowed in this role is really fun," she said. Still, Canavan appreciates the enduring humor of the literature.
"The classics are where all of the drama and literature comes from. Once the audience gets acclimated to the language, I think the jokes are easy to understand and almost funnier because of the language," she said.
Already a Shakespeare veteran, theater senior Nathaniel Nose has been in seven Shakespearean plays, made a Shakespearean film and plans to continue performing Shakespeare.
"What I love about him is that the emphasis is on the language and the speech and the subtlety and use of language … I believe so strongly in these stories — they transcend their period," he said.
Nose plays Spanish Lord Don Pedro in "Much Ado About Nothing." Don and his crew stop in Leonardo's town for some leisure time before they head back to war.
"He is patient and he listens a lot and he always has an immediate solution. He's a man of action. It's a joy to play a character who is sort of a man of action in that regard and it's a delicious costume," he said.
Above all, "Much Ado About Nothing" is a comedy about love.
"I think this is one of those plays where Shakespeare talks about comic and well-intentioned true love, and it's just another exploration of that … I think falling in and out of love is something that happens a lot in college, and I think it does reflect some craziness for being in love," Rutledge said.
Performances of "Much Ado About Nothing" are at the Pasant Theatre in Wharton Center at 8 p.m. tonight and Saturday. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. April 6, 8 p.m. April 7 and 8 and 2 p.m. on April 9. Tickets are $10. For more information, go to www.theatre.msu.edu.
