Much Ado About Nothing (review)

From the opening moments of the Houston Shakespeare Festival's 2010 incarnation of Much Ado About Nothing, it was clear that we weren't in Messina anymore. "I learn in this letter that Don Pedro of Baton Rouge comes this night to New Orleans," declared Leonato to the assembled characters, who were clad in Civil War-era costumes and frolicked through a Southern square overhung with Spanish moss. The change in setting was reflected throughout the production through changes to the language. Rather than being introduced as "Signor Benedick of Padua," that gentleman hailed from Jackson, Mississippi (although he was later declared to be "the only man of New Orleans" by Hero in 3.1). Dogberry addressed Leonato in 3.5 (apparently seriously) with "Howdy, Your Majesty!" and proceeded to excuse Verges by explaining, "A good old man, sir—see, he's from Shreveport. As they say, 'When the Cajun is in, the wit is out.'" This last emendation drew a huge laugh from the audience, who clearly delighted in the local references.

This was not the first time that the Houston Shakespeare Festival altered the setting of a play to appeal to the audience; their 2004 production of The Taming of the Shrew, for example, was set in the Wild West, with plenty of references to Texas. While that concept worked relatively well, the choice to set Much Ado in the Civil War-era South proved more problematic. Although the war between the states was not mentioned specifically, the costumes generally indicated that Don Pedro and his soldiers were returning from a successful battle with the Yankees. (The costumes were not entirely accurate, as the soldiers wore different shades of military uniforms varying between blue and gray, and the women's dresses did not have hooped petticoats—but it was never clear whether these were deliberate choices.) Don Pedro was addressed variously as "General" and (more confusingly) as "the Don," and Dogberry later declared he would "rather hang a Yankee" (instead of "a man who hath any honesty in him").

Racial issues were introduced by the casting of a black actor in the role of Conrade, who initially appeared in uniform with the rest of Don Pedro's soldiers. The relationship between he and Borachio suggested Conrade's inferior status: at the end of 1.3, Borachio pushed Conrade aside to exit first, and in 3.3 threatened him with a blow, from which Conrade cringed. Yet the production retained Conrade's claim to be a gentleman in 4.2, an assertion that was accepted by the rest of the characters in the scene, despite the fact that this would have been impossible for a black man in 1860s Louisiana. Another choice that possibly spoke to racial issues was that Margaret and Ursula (both played by white actresses) were Hero's "friends," possibly suggesting that in this time and place Hero would not have had white maids, nor would she have been intimate with her black servants. And yet the production followed recent stage tradition in emending Benedick's line, "If I do not love her, I am a Jew," replacing the final word with "fool."

(From left to right) Celeste Roberts as Beatrice, Drake Simpson as Benedick, Paul Hope as Leonato, Thomas Prior as Don Pedro, Jennifer Cherry as Hero, and John Phillips as Antonio in The Houston Shakespeare Festival's 2010 production of Much Ado About Nothing...