Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare. Bell Shakespeare at Canberra Playhouse, May 20 to June 4 2011.
Reviewed by Frank McKone
May 20
Usually
I write immediately after seeing a show, but this performance
(following a five week season at Sydney Opera House) caught me a bit by
surprise. I decided to give myself a day to think a bit longer before
writing, since Bell has treated Canberra, as they traditionally do, to a
run of a reasonable length for this city of 330,000 people.
I
have always been amazed at the emergence of Shakespeare the writer,
with such wit, humour, sense of tragedy and ability to stage everything
from naturalistic speech to ceremonial ritual – all in one play. In his
early thirties, living in a society riven by religious conflict and
controlled by monarchs who had, and used, power over people’s life and
death, William Shakespeare’s brilliance stands out against, above and
beyond those who destroy rather than create. Much Ado is certainly not about nothing.
My
surprise – not at all an unpleasant one – began to strike me early on,
when Benedick’s facility with a stand-up comedian’s flow of words was
not less in understanding than Beatrice’s sharpness of riposte. This
Benedick was not even just the equal of this Beatrice, but had far more
humanity than she could muster. Hallo, I began to think, is this
because Blazey Best was overplaying her role and becoming too much the
shrew? Is Toby Schmitz simply the better actor?
Or was
something going on here to turn my previous view of this play on its
head? Beatrice had always seemed to me to be a modern feminist – a
woman of natural maturity in contrast to the incapacities of men of her
age, and a significant role model for the easily infatuated Hero. For
me, she did go to an ideological extreme in demanding that Benedick kill
Claudio, but in realising this when Don John’s evil perfidy is
revealed, she understood that she should back down and accept Benedick
for the honest man he is, even if he might not be all that exciting.
But
in John Bell’s interpretation, the play belongs to Schmitz’s Benedick.
He becomes the central character through whose eyes we see the issues.
As he bit by bit realises the truth about his own feelings, not only
for Beatrice but about all the other players, and sees that Beatrice has
not the strength of character that she pretends to have, it is he,
Benedick, who sees the danger and rescues her from the likely dire
results of her immaturity. He does indeed challenge Claudio, but takes
his time to check things out and go through the proper motions of
agreeing on a time and place for the action. Why does he not challenge
and kill Claudio as soon as he meets up with him? Or even stab him
without warning? To do so would be as thoughtless as Beatrice’s demand.
Unfortunately,
for me, the quality of Schmitz’s performance made Best’s performance of
Beatrice seem a bit too mundane – except, ironically, for the scene in
which she makes her demand of Benedick. Though what Beatrice expects
Benedick to do is, in today’s terms, unacceptable, Blazey Best came up
to Toby Schmitz in the making of it. “If I were a man…” showed a
Beatrice absolutely equal to the man Schmitz had created in his
Benedick. And so I could be satisfied that their marriage was right,
but probably with Benedick offering more to Beatrice than she might at
first realise she needs. This left me with the question, was Best’s
performance exactly right for John Bell’s interpretation, or was the
sharpness of her delivery a simplification, a lesser quality in her
acting?
I can only recommend, dear reader, that you make sure you see Much Ado About Nothing
to make up your own mind. Of course, I wouldn’t do this unless the
rest of the cast are up to your expectations. Caparisons are unfair,
but I have to mention Max Gillies as Dogberry – malapropisms galore, and
wonderfully impressed. Design, movement and music all combine to make
something a lot more than mere RomCom, with an especially cleverly
staged ending. Not to be missed.
© Frank McKone, Canberra
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