Synopsis
Act I
Much Ado About Nothing takes place in the Pacific Northwest in 1991, where the governor, Leonato, lives with his daughter Hero, and his niece and Hero’s best friend, Beatrice. Leonato receives word that his friend Don Pedro has returned from war and will be visiting with his entourage. Amongst the group is Claudio, who immediately falls in love with charming Hero. In the party is also Benedick, a confirmed bachelor who has sworn off love and marriage. Upon his arrival, he and Beatrice resume the war of barbs and banter they have carried on since before his deployment.
Act II
Leonato decides to hold a masquerade ball to celebrate the end of the war and the return of the soldiers. Don Pedro charms Hero on behalf of his friend Claudio and the betrothal of Claudio and Hero is arranged. The wedding is to be the following Monday and to pass the time before then, Don Pedro, Claudio, Hero, and Leonato scheme to bring Beatrice and Benedick together.
Amidst all the happiness, Don Pedro’s sister, Don John, hatches a plan to upset the levity and joy. Don John’s pettiness leads her to plot with soldiers Borachio and Conrade in a scheme to make Hero seem unfaithful to Claudio.
Meanwhile, Benedick ponders the effect of love on men as he wanders through the garden. He overhears his scheming friends talking about Beatrice’s supposed secret love for him and is floored. Benedick decides to woo Beatrice after the trickery of his friends has convinced him. Beatrice comes out to fetch him for dinner with her usual fire, and Benedick is effusively accommodating and complimentary towards her, much to her surprise.
Act III
Hero and her attendants, Margaret and Ursula, play the same trick on Beatrice in the garden that the men had done to Benedick previously. Beatrice, just like Benedick, is shocked, and decides to “take pity” on poor, lovestruck Benedick and love him back.
The action then turns to the absurd comedy of the governor’s watch and their bumbling members and leaders, Dogberry and Verges. They are on alert as Hero’s wedding is tomorrow. As the watch stop to take a rest, Borachio and Conrade approach, not seeing the officers. Borachio relays the lurid tale of the evening’s deception:
Borachio has wooed Hero’s friend, Margaret, and their tryst could be seen through Hero’s window. Borachio even convinced Margaret to don Hero’s clothing. Don John led Claudio and Don Pedro to the ground below, leading them to believe that Hero was the one making love to Borachio; Claudio was furious at the apparent betrayal and plans to humiliate Hero at the wedding tomorrow.
The watchmen reveal themselves and arrest Borachio and Conrade for their crimes and haul them away to Dogberry and Verges for questioning.
The wedding day arrives, and Hero and her companions joke and banter as they prepare for the wedding. Claudio and his party arrive at the church as well. As Leonato is entering the church, Dogberry and Verges tell the governor that they have criminals that they want to question with him present, but he sends the watchmen away.
Act IV
All gather to begin the wedding ceremony, but when it is time for Claudio’s vows, he instead launches into an impassioned speech accusing Hero of being an unfaithful, wanton woman. Leonato and Hero ask what he could possibly mean and Claudio tells the tale of what he saw the previous evening. Leonato cries out and seeks a knife to commit violence upon himself. Hero faints as she is so overwhelmed. Benedick rushes to Hero’s side as Claudio, Don Pedro, and Don John leave without hesitation. The Friar steps in and the group realizes that the slander of Hero’s character must be the work of Don John. The Friar suggests that they all pretend that Hero has died of shock and grief in order to perhaps reveal the lie and punish those who mistreated her. Those assembled agree to the plan.
Benedick and Beatrice are left alone and discuss their new feelings of love towards each other and their mutual surprise at the affection. When Benedick says he will do anything for Beatrice, she asks him to kill Claudio. Benedick refuses at first, but then agrees to challenge Claudio to a duel.
Elsewhere, Dogberry and Verges question Borachio and Conrade and unearth the truth of the evil plot. When they hear the details, they plan to take the perpetrators to Leonato.
Act V
Leonato talks with his brother, Antonio, about his immense grief and shock. Claudio and Don Pedro arrive and Leonato challenges Claudio to a duel to avenge his daughter’s supposed death, as he says that slandering her good name led her to die. The younger men ignore his challenge and the two older men vow to get their justice another way.
Benedick appears and instead of sharing some jokes, he shares a challenge for Claudio for a duel. Benedick informs them that he can no longer be their companion as they have caused an innocent woman’s death; he also tells them that Don John has fled.
Dogberry and Verges enter, bringing Borachio and Conrade with them. The men reveal the truth of the earlier evening, and Claudio and Don Pedro realize they have wrongly accused Hero, ruined her family, and ended her life. Leonato and Antonio return; Claudio and Don Pedro beg for their forgiveness and penance. Leonato suggests that Claudio publicly proclaim Hero’s innocence, write her an epitaph to read at her grave, and marry Antonio’s “daughter”. Claudio gladly agrees.
Early the next morning, the community gathers to hear Claudio’s epitaph. After the ceremony, attention turns to Claudio’s impending wedding to Antonio’s daughter. As the wedding begins, the women arrive masked. Claudio vows to marry the masked woman by his side, who then reveals herself to be Hero, alive and well. After the wedding Benedick stops the festivities to ask Beatrice if she loves him; she denies it as does he. Claudio and Hero call their bluffs and reveal halfwritten love poems from the reluctant couple. Benedick and Beatrice admit their love and agree to a double wedding. Merriment and joy ensue.
Shakespeare’s Rom Coms
While some may be more familiar with Shakespeare’s dramas such as Hamlet and Macbeth, or histories such as Henry V, Shakespeare was also a writer of delightful romantic comedies such as Much Ado About Nothing. These comedies often featured disguises, mistaken identities, romantic hijinks, and happy endings.
The Comedy of Errors
In this farcical comedy set in the Greek city of Ephesus, the story follows two sets of identical twins who were separated at birth. Through a series of mishaps and moments of mistaken identity, shenanigans ensue, arrests and accusations are made, and chaos reigns.
Twelfth Night
In this play, twins Sebastian and Viola are separated in a shipwreck. When Viola comes ashore, she disguises herself as a young man named Cesario, and in turn falls in love with Duke Orsino who is in love with Olivia who eventually falls in love with Cesario. As the romance and mistaken identities unfold, the lives and loves of the characters become comedically entangled.
Love’s Labour’s Lost
In this early Shakespearean comedy, the King of Navarre and his companions swear off of the company of women for three years so they can focus on learning and fasting. Of course, they encounter some lovely women and forswear their oaths.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
One of Shakespeare’s most produced plays, A Midsummer Night’s Dream follows four lovers as they seek partnership in the face of arranged marriages and societal expectations. As the quartet heads into the woods, they run afoul of a conflict between the king and queen of the fairies. In addition to the lovers, a group of tradespeople take to the woods to rehearse a play. The intertwined stories lead to comedy and romance full of magic and mirth.
De’Adre Aziza plays Hippolyta, and Bhavesh Patel plays Theseus in William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, directed by Lear deBessonet for the Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park at the Delacorte Theater. Photo credit: Joan Marcus, TheaterMania. From left: Catherine Lynn Davis as Viola, Peter Silbert (playing guitar) as Feste, and Daniel Mooney as Orsino in the 1987 Milwaukee Rep production of Twelfth Night. Photo credit: Mark Avery, UW-M Milwaukee Rep Photographic History Archives. Cast of the 1994 Milwaukee Rep production of Love’s Labour’s Lost Photo credit: Mark Avery, UW-M Milwaukee Rep Photographic History Archives.The Taming of the Shrew
Two sisters, the fiery and independent Katherine, and the younger sweet and romantic Bianca, struggle with suitors in this comedy. Katherine has no interest in marriage, but the arrogant and obnoxious Petruchio tries to win her hand; Bianca, meanwhile, tries to circumvent her father’s desire to marry off her older sister first. Multiple suitors vie for Bianca’s hand as Petruchio tries to make Kate into his future perfect wife.
The Two Gentlemen of Verona
In what is considered one of Shakespeare’s weakest and perhaps first plays, the themes of disguise, misplaced love, the importance of friendship, and the foolishness of those in love are predominant. A highlight of the play is the clown Launce and his scene-stealing dog, Crab, who are beloved comedic characters in the Shakespearean canon.
As You Like It
Like many of Shakespeare’s comedies, this story centers around disguise and romantic connections between unlikely partners. An exiled king resides in the Forest of Arden with his court, his daughter runs away from his usurper brother, and a young man also escapes the formal court after he’s threatened. Characters meet in the forest and fall in love, even though who they are is not who they appear to be.
The Merry Wives of Windsor
Sir John Falstaff, the comedic relief from Henry IV Parts I and II, seeks his fortune in Windsor by courting two wealthy widows. As can be expected when Falstaff is involved, hijinks ensue, and the ladies trick Falstaff after discovering his scheme. A subplot follows two young lovers who want to evade the other suitors who are pursuing the young Anne.
Tropes in Shakespearean Comedies
90s and Early 2000s Shakespeare Adaptations
AMidsummerNight’sDream (1999)
Hamlet (2000)
Romeo + Juliet (1996)
Hamlet (1996)
1990s Histori
1990 1991
Nelson Mandela freed.
Lech Walesa becomes the first president of Poland.
Germany reunited. Hubble telescope launched.
The World Wide Web publicly debuts as an internet service.
Jeffrey Dahmer arrested.
Copper age man found frozen in a glacier.
Soviet Union collapses.
Apartheid is ended.
Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Philippines.
First Gulf War (Operation Desert Storm) begins.
1992 1993
Bosnian genocide begins.
Officers who assaulted Rodney King acquitted.
Los Angeles riots. Bill Clinton elected President.
FBI
World Trade Center bombing.
1994 1995
istoriCal tiMeline
elected president of South
genocide of Tutsi people leads to over 800,000 civilians.
“Chunnel” connecting England and opens.
Prime Minister of Israel, Yitzhak Rabin, assassinated.
Sarin gas terrorist attack in Tokyo subway.
Simpson is acquitted of murder.
building in Oklahoma City is bombed.
1996 1997
Atlanta hosts the Summer Olympics; Centennial Olympic Park is bombed during the games.
Dolly the Sheep, the first cloned mammal, is born.
The U.K. is bombarded with Mad Cow Disease.
The Unabomber is arrested.
6-year-old beauty pageant star, Jon-Benet Ramsey, is murdered.
The First Congo War begins in Zaire.
Tiger Woods wins his first Masters Tournament.
Images of Mars are sent by Pathfinder.
Hong Kong is returned to China after years of British rule.
Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed die in a car crash in Paris.
1998 1999
President Clinton impeached, but not convicted.
India and Pakistan test nuclear weapons.
Matthew Shepard is murdered in Laramie, WY.
The Second Congo War begins.
Construction on the International Space Station begins.
Y2K is a massive panic as the millennium arrives.
Mass shooting at Columbine High School took the lives of fifteen people.
Panama regains control of the Panama Canal.
The Euro premieres as European currency.
The First Gulf War
On August 2, 1990, Iraq invaded their oil-rich neighbor, Kuwait, under the leadership of President Saddam Hussein. In response, the U.S. government formed a coalition with NATO allies as well as Syria, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia. While Russia did not commit to send troops, President Gorbachev did join the U.S. in condemning the actions of Iraq. By August 8, U.S. Air Force fighter planes arrived in a military buildup dubbed “Operation Desert Shield.”
When Hussein refused to withdraw from Kuwait after United Nations Security Council demands, the coalition took further military action. Air strikes began in January of 1991, followed by a ground war dubbed “Operation Desert Storm.” Approximately 750,000 coalition troops were involved, including over 540,000 Americans (over 700,000 Americans were deployed throughout the entire conflict). The ground offensive was short-lived, launched on February 24th and lasting only a few days. By February 28th, President George H.W. Bush declared a ceasefire, by which time most Iraqi troops had fled, surrendered, or been killed.
While the operation was meant to be a “limited” war, the after effects of the conflict were far-reaching. In the immediate aftermath of the war, Hussein’s forces turned their attentions to brutally suppressing Kurd and Shi’ite uprisings in different regions in Iraq. U.S. and British aircrafts continued to patrol the surrounding skies for years to come, making Iraq a no-fly zone. Iraqi officials continued to resist mandated peace terms such as U.N. weapons inspections. As a result, there was a brief resumption of military hostilities in 1998 which resulted in Iraq refusing to submit to any weapons inspections. Airfire was exchanged between coalition planes and Iraqi troops regularly.
The First Gulf War was the first large-scale conflict to occur in the age of the 24-hour news channel; Americans watched as the first planes took off and the first missiles were launched. Reporters on the ground relayed events in real time, allowing civilians to see the reality of the devastation. While the war was
short-lived and was viewed favorably by many Americans, the ability to see events as they unfolded was unprecedented.
While the initial military conflict lasted only a few months, the humanitarian impact of the crisis lasted much longer. The devastation caused to Iraqi infrastructure was wide-reaching and the people of Iraq were greatly impacted. As Hussein and the other leaders of Iraq would not submit to U.N. demands, the U.S. continued to impose economic sanctions on the country, which led to even more damage for the Iraqi citizenry. While the coalition may have “won” the war, the innocent people of Iraq were the ones to really lose.
Escalating tensions between Iraq, the U.N, and NATO allies led to another war which began in 2002.
Impacts on Veterans of the First Gulf War
While casualties amongst coalition troops were low during the conflict, the impact upon veterans returning from the war was not. Veterans of the First Gulf War have suffered greatly from their time in combat, both in physical and mental health.
Over 200,000 American veterans suffer from what is known as Gulf War Illness, a set of symptoms including chronic pain, fatigue, and memory impairment caused by sarin chemical warfare agent, pesticides, and pyridostigmine bromide (PB) pills meant to protect soldiers from nerve gas during deployment. According to researchers, these exposures may also be causing Gulf War veterans to suffer higher rates and earlier onset of other chronic health conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart attack, diabetes, stroke, arthritis, chronic bronchitis, and other conditions. “Gulf War veterans are showing accelerated aging patterns resulting in more and earlier chronic medical conditions than the general population of civilians,” says study author and professor of environmental health, Kimberley Sullivan.
All of these increased negative health outcomes are also often paired with mental health issues such as cognitive impairment or brain fog, insomnia, depression, anxiety, attention deficits, and PTSD. According to the VA National Center for PTSD, approximately 12% of Gulf War veterans have diagnosed PTSD.
While many of these health problems have arisen as these veterans have aged, the impact of war and returning home to a world that was different than the one they left was not easy for Gulf War vets. Not to mention any disabling physical impacts, the mental toll of the trauma of war, and the weight of the moral cost of service they would face upon their return home.
Grunge:Music, Aesthetic, or Lifestyle? (Or Maybe
“Grunge,” a derivative of “grungy” as defined by MerriamWebster’s Dictionary, is “shabby or dirty in character or condition.” The second definition listed is perhaps the one most familiar to fans of music, or those who came of age in the 1990s: “rock music incorporating elements of punk rock and heavy metal.” Grunge was so much more than just a style of music: it was fashion, a lifestyle, a mindset. Grunge is most associated with the Pacific Northwest, specifically Seattle, but became a cultural influence well beyond that region.
Seattle-based groups such as the Melvins, Soundgarden, Green River, and the Screaming Trees began to merge punk and heavy metal in the early to mid-1980s, creating the heart of what would later be known as grunge. C/Z Records’ 1986 compilation album Deep Six is considered to be the first distribution of grunge music. Between 1988 and 1990, transformations happened amongst some of the tight-knit Seattle group of bands, with members leaving and joining other groups, bringing on new members, name changes, and the tragic overdose death of Andrew Wood, lead singer of the promising group, Mother Love Bone. After Wood’s death, Eddie Vedder was brought in to sing a duet with one of the remaining members and the group later reformed as Pearl Jam.
In 1990, Nirvana, which would soon be one of the most famous bands of the grunge era, found its signature sound with the addition of drummer Dave Grohl to the existing group. The community of Seattle bands would self-deprecatingly refer to their music as “dirt,” “scum,” and “grunge.” In 1991, Nirvana reached Number 1 on the Billboard Alternative chart and the term “grunge” went from a joke to the name which became the descriptor for the genre.
All of the Above?)
As bands Nirvana and Pearl Jam gained astronomical success, other bands also such as Soundgarden, Smashing Pumpkins, and others gained traction on a nationwide and eventually worldwide scale. As the music genre and nonchalant attitudes of the bands became more appealing, so did their lack of fashion. While punks were decidedly anti-fashion, grunge rockers were just indifferent to it. But, as fashion takes inspiration from popular culture, soon flannel shirts and combat boots were showing up on the runways. When thrifting and secondhand clothes were once considered the realm of those who couldn’t afford “fashion,” suddenly thrift stores and grandpa’s hand-me-downs were influencing major designers.
Fans of grunge were passionate about the music and the people who created it, but the soulful and painful lyrics that fans so loved often hid deeper pain and struggle. When Nirvana singer-bassist Kurt Cobain died by suicide in April of 1994, it rocked the world of music and the fans who loved the band. Unfortunately, in the ensuing years, quite a few other grunge icons such as Hole bassist Kristen Pfaff, Blind Melon singer Shannon Hoon, Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell, and Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland have also died by suicide or overdose. Fame and fortune and tragedy seem to have been a heavy burden for many of these 1990s alternative music innovators.
While the grunge subculture came from a place of new sound and the disenchantment many Gen Xers felt, the influence of the music, the style, and the moment can still be felt today.
A 1990s Nostalgia Quiz A 1990s Nostalgia Quiz
Taylor Thomas Results: Results: You are old. But that’s okay, because the 90s were great and you got to experience them firsthand!
Mostly ‘Yes’ Mostly ‘NO’
EITHER - You are young. Too bad. You only get to experience the 90s as a reboot of the nostalgia of one of the greatest decades in recent history.
OR - You are also old, but you got to experience the awesomeness of 90s culture through your children or grandchildren. Yay you!
VISITING MILWAUKEE REP
Milwaukee Repertory Theater’s Patty and Jay Baker Theater Complex is located in the Associated Bank River Center downtown at the corner of Wells and Water Streets. The building was formerly the home of the Electric Railway and Light Company.
The Ticket Office is visible on the left upon entering the Wells Street doors. The Quadracci Powerhouse is located on the Mezzanine and can be accessed via escalator or elevator.
Milwaukee Repertory Theater’s Patty and Jay Baker Theater Complex is located in the Milwaukee Center downtown at the corner of Wells and Water Streets. The building was formerly the home of the Electric Railway and Light Company.
The Ticket O ce is visible on the left upon entering the Wells Street doors. The Quadracci Powerhouse is located on the rst level.
Financial support enables The Rep to:
✯ Advance the art of theater with productions that inspire individuals and create community dialogue;
Advance the art of theater with productions that inspire individuals and create community dialogue.
✯ Provide a richer theater experience by hosting Rep-in-Depth, TalkBacks, and creating PlayGuides to better inform our audiences about our productions;
Provide a richer theater experience by hosting Rep-in-Depth, TalkBacks and creating PlayGuides to better inform our audiences about our productions.
Maintain our commitment to audiences with special needs through our Access Services that include American Sign Language interpreted productions, captioned theater, infrared listening systems and script synopses to ensure that theater at Milwaukee Rep is accessible to all.
✯ Educate over 21,000 students at 150+ schools in the greater Milwaukee area with Rep Immersion Day experiences, student matinees, workshops, tours and by making connections with their school curriculum through classroom programs such as Reading Residencies;
✯ Maintain our commitment to audiences with special needs through our Access Services that include American Sign Language interpreted productions, captioned theater, infrared listening systems and script synopses to ensure that theater at The Rep is accessible to all;
Educate over 20,000 students at 200+ schools in the greater Milwaukee area with Rep Immersion Day experiences, student matinees, workshops, tours and by making connections with their school curriculum through classroom programs such as Reading Residencies.
Educate the next generation of theater professionals with our EPR Program which gives newly degreed artists a chance to hone their skills at Milwaukee Rep as they begin to pursue their theatrical careers. We value our supporters and partnerships and hope that you will help us to expand the ways Milwaukee Rep has a positive impact on theater and on our Milwaukee community.
✯ Educate the next generation of theater professionals with our EPR Program which gives newly degreed artists a chance to hone their skills at The Rep as they begin to pursue their theatrical careers. We value our supporters and partnerships and hope that you will help us to expand the ways Milwaukee Rep has a positive impact on theater and on our Milwaukee community.
phone at 414-290-5376.
THE REP RECEIVES SUPPORT FROM:
MILWAUKEE REP RECEIVES SUPPORT
FROM:
The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation
The Richard & Ethel Herzfeld Foundation
The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation The Richard & Ethel Herzfeld Foundation
The Shubert Foundation