Since I did my first Shakespeare show in 2023, I’ve had a love hate relationship with the material. I mean, I appreciated it for what it was. I understood it’s importance in the history of the theater and why it’s taught in class all around the world. But, I had my issues. When we did “A Midsummers Night’s Dream”, I was quite lost as far as understanding everything that was happening when I initially read the script. It’s no secret that the language is challenging, especially for a pee-brained American mind such as myself. Only joking. My thing is I had never sat down and read one of Shakespeare’s scripts with the intention of gaining entertainment value. I mean, why would I? I’m essentially the guinea pig of today’s stimulating media game. I grew up on Youtube and Star Wars which isn’t a bad thing necessarily, but I believe it kept me from wanting to read in my free time. It was definitely a personal thing for me. I get it from my Dad. We’re just not inherently readers. Anyways, the reason I say this is because when I first tried getting into my part as Demetrius, I was pretty much completely lost. Had it not been for No Fear Shakespeare, I would’ve gone into our first table read knowing nothing. After we did the show, I was very familiar with the material and actually I really enjoyed the show. But when my friends and family told me they didn’t enjoy the show because they couldn’t understand what was happening, my love for Shakespeare had been tainted. I thought to myself, what in the world is the point of performing Shakespeare if no one even gets it? But after watching “Much Ado About Nothing” at Shakespeares Globe, my life was changed.
First off, watching a show at Shakespeares Globe was an honor in and of its self. A majority of our group stood as “groundlings” and it was a surreal experience. I felt like a squire in the Elizabethan times which was just fun. Were my feet killing my by the end of Act I? Absolutely. Was it totally worth the amazing view of the stage? 100 percent. The stage was beautiful with golden metal branches and oranges everywhere you looked. I referred to is as being at a “Shakespeare Rave”, because it was a huge crowd of people just enjoying the damn thing. I love it.
The show was absolutely magical. I can’t lie, my expectations were low. Not because of the story, but because I feared I wouldn’t undertsand anything. Boy was I wrong. I think this show could’ve been hard to undertsand but the actors made sure that we got everything. The acting was nothing like I’d ever seen before. They made me understand why Shakespeare has been so prevalent for the past 400 years or so. The story was so clear to me and I was completely invested throughout. The choreography/musical aspect of the show was eclectic and cemented my Shakespearean Rave comment. And perhaps my favorite element of the show had to do with the audience interaction. There was a moment when a baby shrieked and Benedick, played by Ekow Quartey, shrieked back at it. Genius.
Overall, this might’ve been my favorite show that we’ve seen yet and I’m forever going to go into Shakespeare shows with a new attitude about the material. Thank you, and Much Ado.
Theatre in London U of A 