The Western Connecticut State University Department of Theatre Arts will present William Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing” from May 1-4 in the MainStage Theatre of the Visual and Performing Arts Center on the university’s Westside campus, 43 Lake Ave. Extension in Danbury. Preview performances today, Thursday, May 2 (high school night). Public showings will be at 8 p.m. on Friday, May 3, Saturday, May 4, and Sunday, May 5; with 2 p.m. matinees on Saturday and Sunday.
Written between 1598 and 1599, and formally published in 1600, the comedy pits bachelor Lord Benedick against the governor of Messina’s niece, Beatrice, in a “merry war” amidst romance, gossip and farce. Finding marriage repugnant, the aloof Benedick secretly longs for Beatrice’s affection. While his friends plan to set the two up, the villainous Don John seeks revenge for past ills by ruining the wedding of the governor’s daughter Hero and Benedick’s companion Claudio.
“In my mind, there has never been a satisfactory conclusion to the story of Hero and Claudio,” Director and Sound Designer Anthony Cochrane said. “In our current cultural moment, I set about putting that right. This story could happen now. How would this play out in our present environment?