The Department of Communications is presenting the play, "Much Ado About Nothing," opening on Feb. 19 at 8 p.m. at the South Orange Performing Arts Center.
Directed by Dr. James McGlone, a professor of theater and speech, the play is a revamped version of the Shakespearean classic. The play focuses on the quarrels, mischief and tricks among two couples and their meddling friends.
"It's about 20 people that are involved, which is large for any production," sophomore Jess Kohler, the first-time stage manager, said. "There is so much talent and I'm really excited to see it all play out."
The comedy takes place in the Italian town of Messina where Claudio (freshman Pat Daley) and Hero (junior Brittany Biesiada) are madly in love, as are their friends Benedick (graduate student Henry LaGue) and Beatrice (sophomore Marissa Breton), who are too busy bickering with one another to figure it out on their own.
The villain, Don John (freshman Philip Baker) aims to throw salt in the mix by devising a plan that ends up in humiliation, fake deaths and plenty of tears.
"Doc (McGlone) even added extra characters and turned some female parts into male parts just because he was so pleased with the acting talent," Kohler said. "The freshmen actors Pat Daley, Bill Torres and Philip Baker are very talented to be so young, as are the other cast members. The show will be great."
"Much Ado About Nothing" opens this weekend at SOPAC. There will be a total of 6 shows running from Feb. 19 through Feb. 28. The Friday and Saturday shows are at 8 p.m. and the Sunday shows are at 2 p.m. Admission for Seton Hall students is $8, $15 for alumni and the general public and $10 for senior citizens.
If you're a diehard Shakespeare fan, an avid lover of theater or simply looking for some weekend entertainment while supporting your fellow peers, going to see "Much Ado About Nothing" is sure to quench your thirst while giving you a good laugh in the process.
Kristen Hardy can be reached at kristen.hardy@student.shu.edu.
