COM's excellent `Much Ado'
Intentional deception and mistaken identities figure prominently in Shakespeare's “Much Ado About Nothing,” at College of Marin's James Dunn Theatre through March 17.
Set in the Sicilian town of Messina, the lightweight comedy launches with the approach of a group of soldiers led by a charismatic officer named Don Pedro (Thomas Peterson). Fresh from victory, they announce their intention to spend a month at the villa of a nobleman named Leonato (Christopher Hammond), whose daughter Hero (Maya Giacomazzi) and niece Beatrice (Cassie Nesbit) are of marriageable age. Potential suitors include two of Pedro's cohorts, Claudio and Benedick (Dominic Canty and Grisha Driscoll, respectively).
Desire for and aversion to marriage are strong plot devices, as are the manipulative shenanigans of fellow soldiers, Messina residents and members of Leonato's household. “Who is who?” and “What a tangled mess” are both propelling themes in this popular play, as they are in several of Shakespeare's comedies.
Theatergoers not familiar with “Much Ado” are encouraged to read the Wikipedia synopsis before taking the plunge, as it can be all too easy to confuse some of the characters. Beatrice and Hero, for example, are lookalike cousins and in part of the tale swap identities. Hero also has a chambermaid named Margaret (Michara Lang) who could also be mistaken for one of the cousins, something that happens in the second act.
All the predictably but hilariously interwoven interactions of the play's almost two dozen characters are skillfully rendered. Director Lisa Morse extracts professional-quality performances from her mostly student cast, all of them confident, relaxed and with clear, resonant voices. As is typical at College of Marin, more mature