Of course my first blog post is going to be about seeing Much Ado About Nothing at THE Globe theater. Seeing a play at the Globe is something that I’ve dreamed about since I was about seven or eight years old (thanks dad, for inducting me into the Shakespeare fandom at such a young age). This was my fifth time seeing Much Ado, and there was no other experience of seeing the play quite like this one. The ambiance, the rows of wooden benches (with the option to purchase a cushion if you were so fortunate), the sun beaming down through the open hatched roof, and the mob of people in the pit gathered in front of the stage as if it were a concert all felt like amazingly authentic details; I felt like, aside from the modern technology and such, I was seeing a play the way it would have been performed during Shakespeare’s time. It was a surreal experience and I couldn’t get enough of it. No matter where I looked in the theater, various characteristics popped out, from the replicated paintings around the box seats to the intricate golden-marble Romanesque columns framing the stage, every inch of the theater was planned out as to accurately represent how Shakespeare himself experienced it. All this being said, I can safely say that this version of Much Ado was one that I will forever remember; it was such a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I am still stunned that I saw a play here.
And what I better play to have seen than Much Ado. Definitely one of Shakespeare’s funniest plays, with characters that I have always loved (Beatrice, of course…no one can beat her fiery spirit), joining the audience in laughing at any of Dogberry’s rants, or at Benedick and Beatrice’s tiffs was harmonious. And the actors were phenomenal, as expected at a Globe production. For example, the one who played Claudio was honestly a highlight for me; Claudio usually drifts into the background of this play because I usually find him bland and a bit ridiculous (he just instantly believes Don John and disses Hero in front of her family, come on). However, this actor really brought Claudio to life. His performance really stuck out to me, but of course Beatrice and Benedick (and Dogberry) still stole the show. Benedick was probably my favorite character this production. He was ridiculous in the best way, I mean, hiding under a tree (a tiny tree, I might add), and thinking he was being so slick about it was hilarious. Simply the tone that the actor used added so much more to Benedick’s charisma and humor. I will say, witnessing the actors warm up was a bit unexpected, and I’m sure that those exercises somehow helped them execute their roles so well. I’d never seen anything like that before; they were having full volleyball matches while singing or doing yoga and belting vocal warmups simultaneously. It was sensory overload in the best way, and I loved seeing the before and after as the actors brought Shakespeare’s pages enthusiastically to life.
From reading the kid’s picture-book version of Much Ado to watching the animated cartoon version with my dad (where Don John was blue for some reason) to seeing it at the Globe, this really brought my Shakespeare experience full circle.
— Anna Bender
