Cappies Review of Much Ado About Nothing at South County High School
Fairfax County Public Schools students are talented actors, musicians, and visual artists. Many FCPS high schools participate in the Washington, D.C., chapter of the Critics and Awards Program for High School Theatre, otherwise known as the Cappies.
The Cappies is a program through which high school theater and journalism students are trained as critics, attend shows at other schools, write reviews, and publish those reviews in local newspapers. There are fifteen Cappies chapters across the United States and Canada.
Editor's Note: This review of South County High School's production of Much Ado About Nothing was written by Josephin Friedrich of Langley High School.
What happens when you take a classic play from old England and make it...Groovy?
Much Ado About Nothing, a Shakespearean comedy which premiered in 1598, is a tale that revolves around two pairs of couples and the trouble that ensues when a meddling prince tries to thwart them.
Though originally set in Messina, a port city on the island of Sicily, with most of the action taking place near or around Leonata's house, South County High School's production was set in a 1970s club which belonged to Leonata. The 1970s aesthetic was implemented everywhere throughout the play, leading to a vibrant world and some very entertaining line changes. The play was fast-paced and entertaining, and never failed to get a laugh from the audience.
The comedy focused greatly on one pairing: Beatrice and Benedick, played by Caprice Aspland and Parker Bryant respectively. Aspland and Bryant beautifully performed the two quarreling lovebirds. They were especially good at maintaining banter between themselves right from the moment they were introduced. Aspland found comedy within the righteous character of Beatrice, which perfectly highlighted the carefree nature of Bryant's Benedick. Both actors successfully portrayed every well-thought-out intention behind every piece of dialogue and movement.
Another example of expressive characters would have to be the constables Dogberry and Verges. The dynamic duo, played by Natalie Beasley and Cassandra DellaVedova, made a splash each and every time they appeared on stage. DellaVedova, who played Verges, maintained a hunched back and the bumbling nature of a happy-go-lucky old man, and despite few lines, always stole the show with her physical comedy. Verges would not be caught alone without his more youthful counterpart Dogberry, depicted by Beasley. Beasley contrasted DellaVedova with a strong and upbeat character. Beasley kept up the bright demeanor, no matter how insulting or dramatic of a situation Dogberry found himself in.
The large characters found within the play were not the only things stealing the show. Each and every character had a well-planned, brightly patterned costume to go along with their hysterical characters. The costumes, executed by Dexter Burris, Shika Kumar, Rebecca Stroh, and Sophia Uriostegui, had their alliance or pairing written in carefully selected color schemes. One example was Beatrice and Benedick's costumes which were characterized by a bright orange with white accents, and although they were often separate, little details such as a hairpiece for Beatrice which matched the yellow greens of Benedick's shirt, never went unnoticed. The costumes were matched in their aesthetic by a gorgeous set, created by Andrew Beasley and Natalie Beasley, Adrian Jin, and Matthew Walsh. The set, while simple, effectively captured a 1970s aesthetic in color and poster choice. It also incorporated a variety of levels, which seemed to be a very fun playground for the actors (especially in dance sequences) and helped portray hierarchy within the play.
South County High School's Much Ado About Nothing was a wonderful amalgamation of energetic acting and lively comedy.
