What could be more pleasant than watching a romantic comedy at a nearby park on a summer afternoon for free?
That’s what’s in store when CenterStage in Lake Forest’s Shakespeare in the Parks presents Barbara J. Anderson’s 90-minute adaptation of “Much Ado About Nothing” at Glenview’s Jackman Park, 1930 Prairie St., on Aug. 10 and 24; and at Glenview’s Gallery Park, 2400 Chestnut Avenue, on Aug. 11. There will also be performances in Lake Forest (Aug. 17-18); Winnetka (Aug. 25); and Lake Bluff (Aug. 31, and Sept. 1, 7, and 8). All performances start at 4 p.m., except the Aug. 25 performance which starts at 2 p.m. For more details, call 847-234-6062 or visit centerstagelakeforest.org.
CenterStage previously presented “Much Ado About Nothing” in 2018.
“’Much Ado’ is one of our favorite plays and we thought we’d go back and revisit it, with a lot of the experience that we’ve gained over the last six years, and see what we can do to make it even more fun and more exciting than it was the last time,” said director Edward Kuffert.
The company is using the same adaptation but Kuffert noted, “We always make some modifications and tweaks. Our goal is to make sure it’s nice and tight and fits in our timeframe.”
The adaptation focuses on two pairs of lovers: Claudio and Hero, and Beatrice and Benedick.
Katherine Damisch of Glenview, who plays Beatrice, also performed in the 2018 production of “Much Ado About Nothing,” but in another role.
Damisch indicated that she enjoys performing in the traveling shows. “Every location’s a little bit different,” the actor explained.
She also likes the outdoor settings and the fact that actors are encouraged to interact with the audience.
“There’s basically no barrier between you and the audience,” Damisch said. “You’re on the same level and you can go between chairs and talk directly to them. You’re face-to-face with them and that is very exciting.”
Director Kuffert added, “We want the audience to feel that they are participating.”
Damisch is pleased to be playing Beatrice. “She gets a lot of really, really good lines,” the actor said. “Beatrice is fiery, she’s witty, she’s smart, and she has something to say.” On the other hand, “All that is kind of a façade to hide someone who has been really, really hurt in the past,” Damisch revealed.
The challenge of the role revolves around that dichotomy. “When you’re dealing with a complicated person you have to hold all those multiple truths in your mind at the same time,” Damisch said.
Eric Prahl plays Beatrice’s love interest Benedick.
“He starts off as a bit of a chauvinist,” Prahl revealed. “He’s sort of a self-aware one, though. He has no interest in marriage and states that loudly to whomever will listen, whether or not they ask.”
Despite that, Prahl noted, “He’s a good-natured guy. He likes to keep people laughing and he likes to keep morale up. At the same time, he’s a soldier — a self-proclaimed man’s man.”
He does soften, though. The actor indicated that the arc the character goes through is what makes the role interesting for him. The challenging part, he noted, is making Benedick sincere and likable.
“People aren’t going to buy this love story at the end of the show if this guy is a flagrant jerk,” Prahl explained.
Prahl, who hasn’t performed outdoors since college says, “Getting used to each of the different spaces is going to be fun.”
Moving the show to different locations is not a problem, Kuffert indicated. “Our entire set consists of three benches and a small box of props,” he explained.
The actors wear beautiful Renaissance costumes, though, and there is guitar music.
Director Kuffert believes that this adaptation makes “Much Ado About Nothing” more approachable. He noted that people who have indicated that they haven’t understood Shakespeare in the past, have said that CenterStage’s adaptations make Shakespeare’s works easy to understand.
Actor Damisch is convinced audiences will love the show. “It has a lot of different types of humor,” she said. “There’s some slapstick in there; there’s the wittiness of the one-liners. It’s a comedy but there’s definitely some serious drama in there.”
Myrna Petlicki is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
