Much Ado About Nothing: Shakespeare Comes to Georgia

When I saw Much Ado About Nothing at the Delacorte Theater five years ago, it was a very classic production and very lovely. Now five years later, The Public Theater has brought this tale back to the Delacorte as part of the annual Shakespeare in the Park line-up, but there is nothing classic about this production. The first thing I noticed upon taking my seat was a brick house on the stage with a large banner that said "Stacey Abrams 2020." Directed by Kenny Leon and featuring an all-black cast, led by Orange Is the New Black's utterly beguiling Danielle Brooks, this production is a riveting delight that serves a social commentary on the issues of our times and yet retains everything that makes this one of Shakespeare's most beloved comedies.

I'm not going into the plot of Much Ado About Nothing - you can read up on it on Wikipedia, or better yet, watch this production and experience the play the way it was meant to be experienced and get hooked for life. One of my favorite things about watching Shakespeare performed on stage is that it never gets old. There's always a new interpretation - in this case, setting the play and its characters in Atlanta, Georgia in the near future - and the familiar lines seem to take on a whole new level of meaning depending on the spin that the actors have chosen to place on them. Grantham Coleman plays Benedick alongside Danielle Brooks' Beatrice, and these two Juilliard-trained actors aren't messing around. The famous banter between these characters is somehow elevated into a whole other plain, and I couldn't help but get swept away in it all. And of course, I had to chuckle with the rest of the audience when Beatrice first pronounced his name sarcastically as "Bene...dick." Shakespeare would have been proud.

This play features a great deal of music, with some incredible singing from Brooks and the supporting actors, as well as some rollicking dance numbers that will have you bopping in your seat. Much Ado About Nothing is a strange little play because the Beatrice and Benedick plot is so fiery and funny and yet the subplot with Claudio and Hero (played by Jeremie Harris and Margaret Odette) delves into immense melodrama. In this production, that drama received a great deal of #MeToo subtext, inspiring some whoops from the audience. I always find myself uncomfortable with how it gets resolved (hey, that Shakespeare for you), but Hero managed to get some of her own back in this production. While Beatrice's famous "If I were a man" speech took on so much more poignancy. But oh man, when Beatrice and Benedick realize they are in love? That gets me every time. To me, their love story is the original Pride & Prejudice, and watching their evolution from enemies to lovers in two and a half hours is a very satisfying way to spend a night at the theater.

Shakespeare in the Park is one of the best cultural events New York City has to offer and if you haven't been yet, there's no better way to start than with this production. It embodies the inclusive ethos of the Public Theater and features stunning performances and gorgeous music. There are so many clever bits of physical comedy sprinkled throughout the show that you won't be able to keep your eyes off the stage and the time will simply fly by. So enter the daily ticket lottery or shell out for a membership and hie thee to the Delacorte before June 23.