Marshall Theatre has proven itself to be abundant with talent once again, adding song, dance and Shakespearean wit to its repertoire for the last show of the season.
From laughter to gasps to cheers, a large, active audience combined with captivating performances kept the Playhouse of the Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts Center lively as the Marshall University School of Theatre and Dance opened its run of Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing” Wednesday, April 22.
“Much Ado About Nothing,” directed by the brilliant Jack Colclough, tells the tale of two contrasting romances while highlighting themes of deception, reputation and gender roles.
While the play is generally considered a comedy due to the merry war between Benedick and Beatrice (if you enjoy the enemies to lovers trope, this one’s for you), its second half features gut-wrenching scenes reminiscent of tragedy, which is precisely what made this show stand out among the others from this season.
The show’s leads, Eliza Aulick (Beatrice), Daniel Calwell (Benedick), George Kinley (Claudio), Gabrielle Bellomy (Hero) and T. Michael Murdock (Leonato), delivered such remarkable duality from act one to act two that even Shakespeare himself would have shed a tear. With this being three of the leads’ last time taking the Playhouse stage as an undergraduate, the time and care put into crafting their characters was evident.
Seeing how I’ve grown familiar to the actors of Marshall Theatre, I was pleasantly unsurprised by the casting upon opening my playbill. Aulick, for instance, has shown great strength in portraying complex female leads, Calwell in portraying quick-witted male characters and even Samuel McElwain (Don John) in portraying the brooding, snarky mastermind.
Having encountered “Much Ado About Nothing” many times now, I entered the theater with high expectations. Needless to say, these expectations were exceeded.
I was particularly excited for the eavesdropping scenes in the garden and orchard, which were perfectly executed through Aulick and Calwell’s comical uses of the set and props, as well as Murdock, Kinley and Bellomy’s intentional overacting. These two scenes – in the best way possible – evoked the feeling of watching a well-done “Saturday Night Live” skit.
However, it was the entire cast’s dedication that truly solidified the show and kept the audience engaged from “places” to curtain call. Newcomers Audrey Steele (Soldier/2nd Watch) and Tom Henkle (Verges/Solider), for example, reminded us that, often, minor characters can take scenes and make them much more memorable than intended through comical line delivery or movement.
Meanwhile, Braden Burnside’s beautiful guitar performances as Balthasar kept the audience entertained and added an extra layer to the show. I was thoroughly impressed by Burnside, Kinley and Thaddeus Stambaugh’s (Don Pedro) trio at the graveside in the play’s second half as well as Burnside, Kinley and Steele’s trio in the first.
The real scene stealer of the play, though, was the gorgeous set, which transported the audience into Messina, Italy. Logan Reagan’s scenic design blew me away from the moment I walked in the theater.
The lanterns, stained glass and video projection through lighting left me awestruck throughout several scenes.
Shakespeare is no easy feat, but considering the reactions of the audience throughout the play, I can confidently say expectations were met for Shakespeareans and non-Shakespeareans alike. For this reason, I am giving this production a solid five out of five stars.
As the last show of an exciting season, you don’t want to miss it. Luckily, there are four more chances to see it beginning at 7:30 p.m. April 23-25 and 2 p.m. April 26.
Bravo, Marshall Theatre, and to the graduating seniors; whatever life after graduation holds for you, I bid you many a broken leg. Farewell!
Baylee Parsons can be contacted at [email protected].
