Much Ado in the Vinyard

After a very warm day, tonight I again joined Bob in attending the second play of SPARC’s season, Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. It’s a fun play with a serious middle but happy ending, with a lot of witty banter in the dialog. The small cast (many of whom played multiple parts) did a good job carrying off the production. This was an “adaptation” which cut the play’s time down a bit, but I was happy that they cut out a lot of the “comedy” provided by the constable and town watch. There was just enough to carry the story forward with out getting annoying. It was interesting that a lot of the early banter between Beatrice and Benedict was a little less rapid than some seasoned actors do it, but it actually made it easier to catch some of the barbs and jokes. Overall, a very nice production, and a nice warm evening among the vines to enjoy it.
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