Gateway

Issue date: 7/8/08 Section: Culture

Shakespeare on the Green (courtesy: Bill Wendl) [Click to enlarge]

This year's Shakespeare on the Green brought the entire range of human emotions - from jovial, and sometimes juvenile, jokes to the dark, desperate decent into madness.

The Shakespearean comedy "Much Ado about Nothing," was the first of the two plays brought to life just off the UNO campus in Elmwood Park.

The play opens in Italy during the late nineteenth century. Claudio, a soldier returning from a small border skirmish, meets and falls desperately in love with the governor's daughter Hero.

The story becomes a tale overflowing with bumbling comedy, sharp wit and deadly misunderstandings.

The background was a set of Roman arches with vines crawling up the walls and a series of statues of a man and woman covered in verdigris.

The first pair, furthest apart, show both of them in the throes of despair; in the second set, they seem to be looking out, discovering one another. And the final statue displays them in each others arms, content at last.

The acting was incredible, the stage brought about a sense of immersion and the crowd was laughing hard from start to finish.

I was afraid I wouldn't understand the comedy, because I'm not a big fan of Shakespeare. But, even if I didn't understand every pun or play on words, there was enough people falling and tripping on things to let me have a good time.

The second play presented as part of this year's Nebraska Shakespeare Festival was "King Lear," a tragedy about a man's misjudgment of his family and his descent into the mouth of madness.

The play is a stark contrast from "Much Ado about Nothing," which was light-hearted and joyful whereas "King Lear" was dark and brooding.

The entire cast was on the stage for nearly the entirety of the play. Those that did not speak would howl and hiss to provide ambience and mood while King Lear slowly goes mad.

The sword fights were graceful and brutal at the same time, leading me to the edge of my seat, because I had no idea what to expect.

Watching these plays was a real thrill, and I strongly encourage anyone to go to next year's show. They will not be disappointed.



Editor in Chief Scott Stewart contributed to this report.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools