Much Ado About Nothing is above all a love story! A romantic comedy! Its “happily ever after” ending is achieved through the ups and downs of love, identity, deception, judgement, and happenstance. The human need for love is hilariously and poignantly portrayed, as is the stubbornness of human nature toward achieving it. 

I think simplicity and reverence for the human interaction of the play is key to a successful production in the round. There is not a lot of spectacle to this play, but feeling is often powerful and overwhelming. This is a play that can and does speak to today’s audience because it’s all about human frailty, cleverness, and capacity for making mistakes. It’s also about justice, fairness, and acceptance. To that end, a contemporary setting, somewhere in our modern time is appropriate and fresh in my opinion. 

The world of the play is open, vibrant, celebratory, and overall warm and inviting. The indoor/outdoor lifestyle is intimated in the masque, garden, and wedding scenes. Lighting can help us feel the passage of time, and sound can give our imaginations some help in visualizing the estate of Leonato’s family and the mood & ambience of scenes. Daytime and nighttime scenes occur, so flexibility in lighting and sound is needed.

Given the number of characters and frequency of scenes involving most of them, the playing space needs openness in order to play in the round. Levels are helpful but not absolutely necessary in my opinion. Hiding is important: for Beatrice and Benedick as they overhear their friends in the “garden” and Don John and his cronies as they conspire; so some physical obstacle, object, or structure is needed. Simple furniture: benches and chairs are needed for variety and scene location changes. The corners and center of the playing space are strong positions for important moments.