Shakespeare is very well known, even in present times. English classes generally teach about one of his many plays. After going to Much Ado About Nothing at Coe College, I was pleasantly surprised. Much Ado is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays, mostly because it is an outrageous comedy. I was already familiar with the script from reading the play, so I knew what to expect. But as I went to see the presentation, I felt hesitant. The play, like many others, has had movie recreations. More often than not, the movies are more of a romantic experience, completely forgetting the fact that the play is comedic. The whole tone and aspect of the play was lost in the movies, I had to hope it wouldn’t be lost in this presentation too.

Once I got there and sat down, the play began. The actors were enthusiastic and the audience seemed just as excited to be watching. Soon enough, the audience was laughing at the jokes in the play–yes, the comedic value was not lost. The audience got to enjoy the actors as they played off one another and rolled across the stage, even going through the aisles between the audience. So many of the scenes were filled with laughed from the audience, myself included. This made the presentation amazing. Not once was the comedic tone or outrageous aspect of the original play lost. It’s important to remember what the point of the original was, which the purpose of a comedy is to entertain an audience, make them laugh. A recreation of something can include multiple changes, as long as the original defining aspects aren’t lost.