Prenzie has much fun with 'Much Ado'

REVIEW:
By David Burke | Tuesday, March 10, 2009 |
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There are times I’m thoroughly convinced that no one in theater is having more fun than the Prenzie Players.

The group’s latest, “Much Ado About Nothing,” only goes to reinforce that notion.

What could have been a very stuffy theatrical affair becomes almost interactive with staging that takes the action of Shakespeare’s play directly in front of, occasionally behind and, at times, even seated right next to the audience.

It’s played in three-quarters-round, with audience members facing the front doors of the Village Theatre in the Village of East Davenport.

Constructed with curtains that allow some quick entrances and exits, the fun continues with some wonderful visual non sequiturs — three female characters doing yoga, for instance, and two others practicing mixed martial arts — plus some great characterization.

The leads, Cait Bodenbender as Beatrice and Aaron E. Sullivan as Benedick, don’t look like typical lead actors, and that’s part of their appeal. The oil-and-water conflict is still there, as well as the eventual match.

Also effective are Charlie Saddoris and Stephanie Moeller as another couple, Claudio and Hero, whose broken relationship causes much of the friction between Beatrice and Benedick and lays out one of the more dramatic scenes in a mostly comic night.

Tracy Skaggs and Beth Woolley make for another excellent couple, albeit a brother and sister — Woolley’s Dona Jane was originally scripted by Shakespeare as Don Juan — with the latter spreading rumors about Hero.

Great performances also come from Jake Walker as the head constable (one first-nighter called him a live-action version of Doonesbury’s Uncle Duke) and Denise Yoder as Hero’s lady-in-waiting (watch her intentionally flub the yoga pose).

But the most unique couple — couple of couples, actually — is Adam Michael Lewis and Matt Moody playing off each other as both of Beatrice’s uncles and as a pair of watchmen. Lewis, in his first Prenzie show, brings welcome wit, while Moody is an occasional foil, occasionally trumping Lewis.

Director Stephanie Burrough maintains a lively pace to the show, keeping to the Prenzie code of putting the dialogue first while keeping the movement visually interesting.

Jennifer Kingry’s lighting is a welcome touch, filling half of the theater with some nicely placed blues and tans, effectively setting the atmosphere.

Congratulations to the cast and crew for pulling off another Shakespearean triumph, and giving their audiences enjoyment in the process.