april #4: much ado about nothing

tuesday night i had the pleasure of seeing the unrehearsed shakespeare company's MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING.

what: much ado about nothing by william shakespeare

where: this installation occurred at mrs. murphy & sons irish bistro, 3905 n lincoln

accompaniment: many a pal including ally, emily, megan, & krista.

drinkability: this one was in a bar! perfect.

show length: just over two hours.

out of four: two and a half/four

if you're a shakespeare fan, especially a fan of the comedies, you've most likely seen, been involved in, read, or are just generally familiar with much ado. its a tale of love, mischief, confusion, hijinx and plenty of sexual innuendos as all good comedies are!

this interpretation is different though. the concept of the company is to put on a show in the style that we believe is as close to the elizabethan style as possible: quick, quirky, and off the cuff. actors show up not knowing exactly which roles they will play and are handed scrolls before the show with their lines indicated and only a few words of the previous cue line to give them an idea of when their line is up next. they have a script supervisor who jumps on the line if there is a silence gap and who will also jump in the action if the play gets all out of whack. the only other bit of help the actors get is a general outline of entrances per scene which is taped up on the wall. in the preshow we were informed that the actors were encouraged to not read the script or try to familiarize themselves with it (minus what they as actors who probably went to college already know). then, game on.

this formula simply makes for a hell of a good time, especially on a tuesday night in a tiny room on the top floor of the bar. the actors are darting in and out of the room and in and out of the crowd. they aren't afraid to ask you questions, indicate to you as a character, poke fun, dote on, and even cheers you (see above). the emphasis on this performance isn't perfection, its about sharing the text with a room full of happy drinking people who get the chance to yell their 'yea's and 'boo's without restraint.

due to the fast paced nature of this production the text tends to be over emphasized and over acted a bit. especially with this being a comedy i understand that the actors are playing for laughs, but several times throughout the night the flailing around totally lost me as to what they were saying. but again, its about the challenge to the actors to be on their feet and interpret as they go along then it is about perfect delivery, so i can put that to the wayside.

its also a little impossible to believe some of these actors were unfamiliar with the exact script as at several moments during speeches even actors would put down their scrolls and recite from memory. either they have an incredible previous grasp on the script (sure, its possible they've played those roles before) or the actors did a little cheating beforehand.

the program for the evening boasts much ado as unrehearsed's 8th chicago performance. keep up with their website and facebook page to see when their next performances roll in. can't beat a night of friendly shakespeare for a suggested donation of $5, can you?

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it's a new month! my may decisions have yet to be made, so keep an eye out and join me, will you?