Directed by Marti Maraden, this remount of Shakespeare’s famous romantic comedy opens on the Globe Theatre’s main stage tonight. You can find out more about the particulars of the production, along with ticket information, by checking out the Globe’s website.
Much Ado About Nothing is believed to have been written in 1598-99. Shakespeare was in his prime as a playwright then, and it’s generally regarded as one of his finest comedies. The play is set in the Sicilian port city of Messina, and concerns the romantic entanglements of two young couples: Claudio and Hero and Benedick and Beatrice. The title contains a pun on the word “noting”, and most of predicaments that befall the lovers stem from gossip and miscommunication.
Much Ado About Nothing will run at the Globe until Oct. 19. The play’s been filmed a number of times over the years, and if you’re a fan of the Gossip Girls TV show they did a parody of it in one episode as well. The Globe’s version is apparently set in the Roaring 20s. To give you a sense of what to expect, here’s the trailer from a 1993 production directed by Kenneth Branagh:
