Senior Zach Freier-Harrison spies on his fellow actors while playing the character of Benedick in the production of “Much Ado About Nothing”.
– Anne Barry
Palo Alto High School Theatre’s production of Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing”, set in the 1967 summer of love, is a fresh rendition of the classic, which manages to relate its themes of love, honor and betrayal to modern audiences. It includes fantastic original music composed solely for the production by junior Julian Hornik.
The setting is a great strength of the play. The colorful costumes and set immediately draw in the viewer and spur interest, and is an element that proved crucial in assisting the audience dive into the Shakespearean language. The ’60s songs that play in transitions between scenes are super fun. These elements of flash are important especially considering the play’s length, which is three hours including intermission.
According to theatre director Kathleen Woods, the setting “makes it more fun and more accessible.”
The setting also proves how timeless the work really is — those 16th century human struggles Shakespeare captured are in essence unchanged. “The themes are still relevant,” says Woods.
Senior thespian Annie Rosenberg, who plays the part of Beatrice, echoes this sentiment.
“The story is so innately human that it fits into [the “summer of love” setting] even though it was written hundreds of years earlier, which I think is pretty cool,” Rosenberg said.
One important connection between the modern setting and the play, which in part swayed Woods to choose the summer of 1967, is the central thread of friction between young and old, change and tradition, particularly true in the character of Beatrice whose challenges of 17th century gender roles mirror similar changes that occured in the ’60s.
Senior thespian Grace Barry, who plays the part of Leonata, displayed nothing but enthusiasm when discussing the setting.
“[It’s] a really cool setting. It is set in the late 1960’s so we have lots of peace marches.”
Something that makes the play unique to Paly and distinct from past Paly productions are the original songs composed by junior Julian Hornik.
“[For] two of the songs in the play [the] words were already there; he wrote the music,” Woods said. “At the beginning of the show he wrote an original song to set up the play, [a] prologue.”
The music adds color to the production, and fits seamlessly into the scheme of the play. It is also performed very well by the actors who portray a group of hippy musicians, including senior Lauren Garland, senior Lise Wedemeyer, junior Thomas Zhao and sophomore Aaron Slipper, among others.
Which brings me to my next point — Aaron Slipper solos the Hey Nonny, Nonny verse for a good portion of the song. It is positively lovely, and anyone who does not witness Slipper singing Shakespeare’s lyrics to an original song composed by Hornik is missing a golden moment in Paly history. In the words of Rosenberg, “There’s just all kinds of talent going on here!”
I was impressed with the acting, which had the right amounts of seriousness and joviality. The jokes were landed, the voices projected, and the drama made palpitable. Most importantly, the actors were fantastic in their ability to translate the meaning of the somewhat arcane lines using their voices, body language and emotions. Those aids are necessary for basic understanding, and the thespians delivered without a doubt, a feat to be applauded.
Senior Zach Freier-Harrison played the leading man well as Benedick, and his ability to deliver the comedy that lay just beneath the lines to the audience without overdoing it was certainly dexterous acting. Barry also showed her skill with a subtle performance that was earnestly tragic when called for but had great moments of sharp wit and unobtrusive humor that brought spark to what would have otherwise been tepid moments. Rosenberg enamored the audience with wonderfully delivered lines, sarcastic wit followed by witty sarcasm, and an animation that kept up the energy of the play. Senior Gabe Wolf, who plays Claudio, and sophomore Sarah Ohlson, who plays Hero, convincingly portrayed the enamored, heartbroken groom and innocent, naive bride to be, respectively.
The play, primarily a comedy, is chock full of “wit and sass” according to Rosenberg, who also added that she and the other actors have “worked really hard to make sure we use the language to our advantage, and to make sure the audience forgets they’re listening to something so foreign…It’s honestly honestly hysterical.”
I would lastly like to add that this play has arrived at just the right moment: prom season. It is a time that graces Paly each year when many suddenly realize the ability to artfully flirt, court and be perfect parts coy and romantic is crucial, in which case Paly students should be very interested in “Much Ado”, which is at base non-stop romance, wit and finds the intersection of burning love and bitter hate. If one were looking to brush up one’s skills, who better to turn to than our friend William, the inventor and master of romance? To answer the previous question, there is no one better.
“I throw a drink in someone’s face, twice,” Barry said. “It’s just so much fun.”
“It is filled with love at first sight, denied and unrequited love, evil villians, and confused identities,” says Freier-Harrison.
Wolf has a grand love-struck debut for his first ever Paly production.
There’s nothing else to say — go see today’s final performance of “Much Ado” at 7:30 p.m. and revel in everything great about Shakespeare, love and comedy.