LOCALS ON THE BIGGEST STAGE IN TOWN: Tony Reilly (center) and Ariel Francoeur (right). |
| Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare | Directed by Cecil MacKinnon | Produced by Portland Stage Company | through March 23 | 207.774.0465 |
In Shakespeare’s comedy Much Ado About Nothing, language is the thing — words that are true, names that are false, phrases that twist and barb at their recipient. Nobles and groundlings alike place their verbiage strategically for love, for mischief, or — most delectably — for both. There is plenty of both in Much Ado, in production now at Portland Stage Company under the direction of Cecil MacKinnon.In the Sicilian country villa of lord Leonato (Gerry Bamman), Claudio (Ephraim Lopez), and Leonato’s daughter Hero (Ariel Francoeur), woo with all the traditional earnest trappings of amour, all hearts and downy lyrics. But between Claudio’s friend Benedick (Peter Allen Stones) and Hero’s cousin Beatrice (Robin Galloway), on the other hand, there wages a scathing verbal battle. Independent and tireless wits, this steadfast bachelor and bachelorette affect a high and readily vocalized disdain of each other, much to the amusement of their cohorts. To their friends and relatives, it’s obvious that Benedick and Beatrice doth protest too much and are, in fact, a matched set. And so Claudio and Hero, along with Leonato (Gerry Bamman), the prince Don Pedro (Ron Botting), and others, decide to deceive them into love.
But there is another dissembler in residence at the villa — Don Pedro’s disaffected half-brother, Don John. He uses his powers for evil rather than good, and with the help of his servant Borachio (J. Paul Guimont), he sets his sights on upending the wedding of Claudio and Hero. A subsequent series of manipulations, misunderstandings, and accusations challenge the affections between friends, lovers, and family.
This PSC production is notable for the great number of local actors it employs alongside its imported Equity actors. In major roles, Much Ado reaps the talent of affiliate artist Ron Botting, whose work spans 12 seasons at Portland Stage, as well as AIRE co-founder Tony Reilly, who here plays Leonato’s brother Antonio. Other locals on stage in key roles are J. Paul Guimont, who has acted with Mad Horse as well as PSC; and Ariel Francoeur, who has appeared with Mad Horse, The Stage at Spring Point, and the Naked Shakespeare Ensemble. The production’s ensemble includes affiliate artist Maureen Butler and Freeport Community Players regulars David Glendinning and Joe Quinn, as well as a number of younger area actors.
The director of Much Ado, Cecil MacKinnon, has both acted and directed for the renowned Shakespeare and Co., in Lenox, Massachusetts, and also has extensive experience as a circus performer.
She directs her PSC cast in a script of extravagant verbal sparring and tricks. The cleverness of Benedick and Beatrice, as they try to one-up each other, makes for some of the Bard’s most scintillating wordplay. Much Ado is also one of the most modern of Shakespeare’s scripts in its examination of the roles of men and women. While Hero is, in traditional female fashion, demure and compliant to the men around her, Beatrice is the true equal and peer of her paramour. In the language of both their spite and their reluctant swooning, Shakespeare treats us to a particularly rich and tricky view of how we love.
Megan Grumbling can be reached at mgrumbling@hotmail.com.
