This fall, Lewiston High School Drama brought its rendition of Much Ado About Nothing to the stage. The results were emotional but also reminiscent of a classic romantic comedy.
Mel Syverson directed the LHS play with students Lauren Gibbs and Trinity Weigand as assistant directors. Performances were Nov. 6-9 at the P1FCU Performing Arts Center.
William Shakespeare wrote Much Ado About Nothing as a comedic play about two romantic pairings that stem from a group of newly arrived soldiers in Messina, Italy. The Lewiston Drama adaptation is a comedic play about the romance between two couples that arises when a group of traveling actors arrives, called The Prince’s Players, at a theater in Messina that is working to put on a production of The Wizard of OZ. However, trouble arises because the director of the show, Leonata (played by Anikka Wilponen), and Benedick (Jacob Barclay) — the supporting guy from the Prince’s Players — have a long-standing hatred for each other. But that hate doesn’t last long, and a story comparable to a rom-com ensues.
Often considered the best rom-com for its campiness, 10 Things I Hate About You is also an adaptation of Shakespeare, which is probably why Much Ado About Nothing shares that quirkiness. Some romantic comedy highlights included when characters banded together to get the enemies Leoneta and Benedick to fall in love. They attempted to do this through “secret” conversations for them to overhear. And Ursula (Hannah Wilson), the costume designer, was hilarious with her not-so-subtle hints about Benedick for Leoneta. Meanwhile, Benedick’s parallel incident was also memorable because of Barclay’s dramatic physical acting, full of swooning.
Other highlights included when Tristan Smalley was on stage as the classic “mean-girl” antagonist Don Jhon, the understudy for The Prince’s Players. Smalley had the sassiest delivery of his lines and silent acting techniques that showed all of his character on his face. His antagonistic behavior made him easy to root against, but Don Jhon also became a character that you were always checking on, even if he wasn’t the focus of the scene.
Every actor in the LHS cast had a great moment, like the dancing from Balthasar (Jonny McKelway) to imaginary horse riding from the stage manager and assistant stage managers (played by Jilian Herr and Josephine Carbaugh).
On the other hand, to juxtapose the 10 Things I Hate About You comedy vibe, the whole play is spoken in Shakespearean English. This formal language is great for the emotional scenes and long soliloquies because it creates a separation from the goofiness of the previous scenes. It even makes those emotional moments more impactful by showing a different side of the characters.
When Claudio (Lucas Wisman), the lead actor of The Prince’s Players, is tricked into thinking his fiance, Hero (Kamaryn Lockart), is cheating on him, he decides to call her out during their wedding. His emotional accusation is different from his love-sick actions earlier in the play. But his deep heartbreak during this scene further shows his love for her in a new light. Wisman was able to show that Claudio was so in love with Hero that he thought it kept him from seeing her true colors, and that he was a fool for trusting her so blindly.
One might think that in other scenes the old English would not fit at all and make the play boring. But that doesn’t take into account the sassiness and dramatics of Shakespeare’s writing.
Beatrice and Benedick are the classic enemies-to-lovers trope and exchange some amazing insults. For many, reading Shakespeare is difficult; but all of these LHS actors accomplished the very hard task of reciting so many lines with feeling. Wilponen and Barclay also perfected the delivery of their insults, making them understandable with just the right zing, hitting close to home for their rival. It’s the perfect comedy delivery for the perfect rom-com.
Overall, the plot of Much Ado About Nothing has so much miscommunication, scheming, and plot twists that it’s easy to wonder if Shakespeare invented the romantic comedy. As the play comes to a close with all of the actors dancing to “Hollaback Girl” by Gwen Stefani, you can’t help but clap as all of the students who made the show possible take their bows.
It is a common misconception that Shakespeare is boring, and that might be true at times. But with the Lewiston High School Drama Department, it certainly isn’t.
