The Sybaritic Singer understands your plight: sitting at your desk, staring at a screen, phones ringing in the distance. Friday mornings feel so far from Friday evening.
So, let us take a moment to meditate on the beauty of Shakespeare in the park. Replace the jingling phones with a slight breeze through the trees, supplant the glowing screen with the glittering of fireflies, and imagine lounging on a blanket or in your favorite lawn chair. Here you are, ready to bask in the cultural radiance of the Bard’s Much Ado About Nothing.
Chesapeake Shakespeare Company‘s goal is to “change the way people think about Shakespeare.” Snuggled in the ruins at Patapsco Female Institute in Historic Ellicott City (Psst… it’s reportedly haunted), CSC’s production of Much Ado About Nothing was full of wit, charm, and humor. Michael P. Sullivan’s Benedick was delightfully on-point in his caustic banter with Beatrice, played well (but often shrewish) by Lesley Malin. Benedick and Beatrice quickly become the main focus of the story. The relationship is so interesting that Berlioz wrote the libretto for his opera Béatrice et Bénédict based closely on Shakespeare’s text. Their mile-a-minute barbs carried across the audience with agility and grace making their eventual union that much sweeter. The young Claudio, played by James Jager, was sweetly innocent in his love for Hero and full of spite and scorn at her supposed infidelity. Some of the younger actors prevent the production from a complete win, but it was still merry as the day is long (if I do say so myself.)
Chesapeake Shakespeare Company in the Ruins’ production of Much Ado About Nothing runs June 11-July 11. Admittedly funny, sexy, and heart-breaking it will be a stand-out experience of your summer. Ticket prices are as follows:
Adults on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturday Matinees: $25
Adults on Saturdays and Sundays: $30
Seniors: $23
Students under 25: $15
Kids under 18: FREE (with a paying adult)
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