Set in 1945, as soldiers return from the war in the Pacific, the Nashville Shakespeare Festival’s “Much Ado About Nothing” both does justice to the author’s sharp wit and spins the classic in a fitting way.
This particular rendition of “Much Ado About Nothing” is a musical rather than a play, but the songs fit in well with the written material.
Lipscomb graduate Sawyer Wallace participated in the musical playing the part of Conrad, one of Don John’s most loyal associates.
He was just as ridiculous as all of the other characters.
Perhaps one of the most hilarious moments in the play is a scene in which the character Benedict is hiding in the garden. He goes out into the audience and jumps from benches to blankets to the ground. In the performance I saw, he even landed in an elderly gent’s lap and crawled through the orchestra pit.
It’s an altogether pleasant surprise. The change in scenery and setting – the trademark of the Nashville Shakespeare Festival – is refreshing, and the characters are just as hilarious as those in Shakespeare’s original play.
Admission to the performance is free, but donations are accepted in order to fund future productions by the Nashville Shakespeare Festival.
But time is running out. The play began Aug. 16 and concludes this coming Sunday. Performances are at Centennial Park at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening, with pre-show entertainment starting at 6:30.