Much Ado About Nothing Play Analysis

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William Shakespeare’s play Much Ado about Nothing, performed by the Queensland Theatre both captured the brilliance displayed in the original play and added in their own innovative twist. The director of the play, Jason Klarwein, was able to pull off an exquisite transition from Shakespearian times to the modern day, making the play subsequently more enjoyable and relatable to the contemporary audience. This transition included adding in modern music and humor, and yet the story line – a romantic comedy, riddled with lies and slander that narrowly avoided ending in disaster – stayed the same. The elements which contributes to the excellence of this play were the characterization, focus of eye contact, and the costumes.
The casting for the
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The protagonists – minus Beatrice (Christen O’Leary) – were constantly displayed wearing light colours. Even at the wedding, which would generally be associated with black suits, the male characters adorned white and cream coloured outfits associated with the navy. On the contrary, the main antagonist, Don John, was shown wearing only dark shades, skillfully making the audience recognise him as a dark and malicious character. An interesting exception to this rule was the fiery red playsuit that Beatrice wore. It contrasted greatly with the neutral tones of the set and the outfits the other protagonists wore. This showed that she wasn’t necessarily always good, which was proven when she demanded Benedick to kill Claudio. This was a practiced choice is costuming made by the director. This colourful use of costume shows that so many aspects of the play were so cleverly and expertly planned out, and that you were subconsciously noting it, even if you didn’t consciously realise the effect that the costumes had on the play.
Much Ado about Nothing, produced by Queensland Theatre Company turned an average night into an extraordinary one with the brilliant casting, dramatic elements, and creative meaning. The elements of focus of eye contact, characterization, and costume resulted in an accomplished play. It was well worth every penny, and a performance that would have made William