Musical ëMuch Adoí Colorful Production of Play Stresses Lighter Side of Life by Lisa Troshinsky Frolicking about in 1920s garb, sipping fine wine, jitterbugging and doing the cha-cha, singing in barbershop quartets, and matching razor-sharp wits. This is the festive backdrop of The Shakespeare Theatreís first co-production with Hartford Stage and its artistic director, Michael Wilson, in ìMuch Ado About Nothingîópronounced ìnotingî in Shakespeareís time, as the play is about a series of miscommunications and mis-notings. The production in the majestic Lansburgh Theatre is, as are many of the Bardís play stagings, set outside of Shakespeareís 1590s England. The playís mingling of colorful flapper dress and music and dance in the sunny 1920s European countryside makes for pleasing and merriful eye-candy during the playís two-and-a-half-hour jaunt. Unlike other Shakespeare comedies that are lyrical with verse and contain some music and dance, this ìMuch Adoî abounds with formal musical expertiseóand the audience is luckier for it. The Tony Award-nominated director Mark Lamos, who is the former Hartford Stage artistic director, came to acting after his first life as a concert violinist and opera director. Karen Ziemba, who milks the role of sharp-witted Beatrice opposite Dan Snookís brilliantly playful Benedick, is one of Broadwayís most versatile performers. She won the Tony for her performance in the hit musical ìContactî and can be seen in Decemberís ìThe Bard on Broadwayî at The Shakespeare Theatre. And Barrett Foa, who charms his way into our hearts as the love-struck Claudio for Hero, was in Broadwayís ìMamma Miaî and the off-Broadway ìGodspellî and ìJohn and Paul.î The choices for cast and director are right on target, for ìthere is a musicality in Shakespeare: Itís about rhythm,î said Michael Collins, who teaches English at Georgetown University. In Washington, D.C., Shakespeare audiences are lucky. We donít have to attend the plays cold, nor do we have to read the script to understand it. Local scholars and lead actors offer a free introduction-discussion of the play to the public, free of charge and up close and personal at the Lansburgh Theatre (inside The Shakespeare Theatre). And at the ìWindowsî session for ìMuch Ado,î held Nov. 10, Collins and Snook shared their Shakespearean wisdom. Lamosís production also stresses the lighter side of life, compared to how other versions of ìMuch Adoî have been played. His interpretation is deliberately post-9/11 and puts aside possible darker interpretations of the script to distract from current sentiments of grief and fear, Snook said. That worked especially well in Lamosís treatment of the character Hero, the naive and youthful maid who is fated to marry Claudio and played by the sweetly convincing Kathleen Early. Hero barely speaks throughout the play, succumbing to the matrimony planned for her by Claudio and her father, to Claudioís false accusations of unfaithfulness and subsequent abuse of her, and finally to the Friar and her fatherís wishes to ultimately marry Claudio after he repents for his wrongdoings. Some productions have blocked Hero isolated on stage and shivering, while her fate is discussed by the men folk. This production has her winking and smiling at Claudio in lieu of words, and standing in the middle of the men who decide her futureóa centerpiece rather than an outcast, thereby downplaying the melancholy that could be seen as written into the script. Yet the flip side of bliss, fun and folly also exists in this rendition. This is Shakespeare, after all. ìMuch Ado,î as are all of Shakespeareís works, is a study of contrasts. It would be impossible to recreate his plays by ignoring their philosophical dichotomies and multiple levels. The 1920s backdrop, though chosen to enhance the aesthetic quality of the production, is also apropos for the introduction of Beatrice and Benedick. This was an era when, for the first time, women wore shorter skirts, smoked, and became emancipated. Beatrice, unlike the mute Hero, is older, financially independent, and speaks almost too muchómost of the time about how she doesnít need or want a man. Beatrice and Benedick broke social ground in the theater. They wed not by outside arrangements but through their own attractions. Their romance sharply contrasts the arranged and somewhat forced marriage between Claudio and Hero, the latter of whom the audience isnít sure is completely happy with her mate, even before she was wronged and after they make up. Through the use of polaritiesóa modernized 1920s courtship versus an antiquated, aristocratic marriage dealóLamos and Shakespeare set up contrasting situations that talk to each other throughout the play. The result is a sense of balance, cohesion and satisfaction for the audience. Such is the reason why the famous tale of Beatrice and Benedick canít be called the perfect parallel to the modern, crowd-pleasing box office hit ìWhen Harry Met Sally.î Though a precursor to such witty and comedic love stories, ìMuch Adoî is more timeless and complex than anything Hollywood would dare, Collins noted. The theme of contrast plays itself well in other areas of the production as well. The princeís loneliness clashes with the other charactersí love-fest at the double-wedding finale. He is forced to watch and not partake in the merriment since he is without a wifeóa reminder that a happy ending isnít in store for everyone, even in fiction. Another contrast at work is the admonition that the playís joyous ending is short-livedóthe next day brings more fighting between Don Pedro and his brother, Don John, who was originally responsible for the slur against Hero. When all is said and done, the play and this productionís direction is definitely about somethingóactually, a lot of things, all of which hit the right note with audiences. ìMuch Ado About Nothingî runs through Jan. 5 at The Shakespeare Theatre, 450 7th St., NW. For more information, please call (202) 547-1122 or visit www.shakespearetheatre.org. Lisa Troshinsky is a freelance writer in Washington, D.C.