The Jewell Theatre Company staged their production of William Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing” Nov. 1-3, putting a William Jewell College spin on a classic comedy.

“Much Ado About Nothing” follows several characters through a series of miscommunications and shenanigans, with two love stories at the forefront: that of Beatrice and Benedick and that of Hero and Claudio. While Hero is sweet-tempered, soft-spoken and eager to be married, her cousin Beatrice is quite the opposite, making generous use of her sharp wit and sharper tongue.

After the prince and both men’s friend Don Pedro helps Claudio secure the promise of Hero’s hand in marriage, he enlists Hero’s father, Leonato – in Jewell’s production changed to a female role, Leonata –Claudio, Hero and her waiting-women to help set up a romance between Beatrice and Benedick, who gleefully fling barbed comments back and forth at every opportunity under the pretense of mutual dislike. Before Hero and Claudio can be married, however, Don Pedro’s villainous brother Don John and his cronies set out to tarnish Hero’s reputation and convince Claudio to leave her at the altar.

When he does, Hero faints at the accusations of promiscuity, and it is publicized that she has died. Claudio and Don Pedro are remorseful upon learning that their actions have resulted in Hero’s death, and due to the comically bumbling-yet-successful night watchmen having overheard Don Pedro’s cronies talking about their involvement in his scheme, the two learn that Hero was innocent after all.

Leonato offers Claudio the hand of a never-before-seen girl who is conveniently similar to Hero, and he accepts. At the wedding she is revealed to be the very much alive Hero, to Claudio’s joy. Beatrice and Benedick, each having learned the things they overheard about the other being in love with them to have been fabricated, declare the lack of love between them, only to have love poetry each has written about the other snatched from their respective possessions and traded; they come together again, confessing they must be in love after all.

The highlight of Jewell’s production is by far Caroline Seitz and Terrace Wyatt, Jr., in the leading roles of Beatrice and Benedick. Their natural delivery of the lines and lively, expressive acting are a delight to watch, and when they interact their combined energy is electric, Wyatt’s lighthearted and hilarious Benedick playing off of Seitz’s cynical and sardonic Beatrice splendidly. Their performances were complemented by the more subdued Leonata, played by Kyra Little, and chuckling Don Pedro, played by Samuel Person. As the other prominent love story, Emma Mayfield’s Hero is delightfully sweet and believable next to Jaimeson Satterfield’s earnest and heartfelt Claudio.

The production features a versatile set, the location only being significantly shifted for a scene set in Hero’s bedroom, and the cast and crew execute the transitions between scenes seamlessly. The transposition of Shakespeare’s text into the 1940s is supported by the mood-setting music choices and costumes, which are well-chosen to emphasize each character’s individual personality.

Overall, Jewell’s “Much Ado” is entertaining and great fun to watch. The Bard would be proud!

Photo courtesy of Jewell Theater’s Facebook page

The play tells the story of the Mirabal sisters, Patria (Kyra Little), Minerva (Hannah Fuhlhage), Maria Teresa (Victoria Smith) and Dedé (Sandra Adams and Caroline Seitz). The former three were murdered by members of the Dominican Secret Police in 1960 for their rebellion against the dictator, Rafael Leonidas Trujillo (Terrace Wyatt, Jr.). Dedé, who was not in the car with them on the day they were killed, survived. The show covers the lives of the sisters from 1938 to 1960, from the perspective of the survivor, Dedé, in 1994 as she recounts the story to an American writer (Kati Watts) who has come to visit the museum dedicated to the Mirabals.

The part of the narrative dealing with the present-day Dedé is much more fleshed out in the play than it is in the novel. The frame story, dealing with issues of authority and the role of storytelling in social justice, is the most productive section of the show. The power of writing to tell a lasting story after those who lived through it are gone is the show’s overarching message, and Seitz as the older Dedé really drives it home.

The earlier-set portions of the play have some powerful moments, as well. The sisters play off each other well. The opposition between the fiercely revolutionary Minerva and her more reluctant sisters is a strong portion of the play. In one of the play’s more dramatic scenes, Patria, Dedé and Minerva attend a party thrown by Trujillo, where the dictator attempts to violate Minerva. It’s well-done, and the emotion really comes through.

The play’s weakest point is in its use of the Spanish language. The program makes clear the reasons for culturally non-specific casting, and I appreciated what they were trying to do. However, the actors could have done with more practice in their pronunciation of Spanish words. It’s possible that this is just my issue as a Spanish major who knows how these words are supposed to be pronounced, but I think it would have lent to the authenticity of the piece.

Even though the play wasn’t particularly true to the novel in important ways, I didn’t mind the differences. Sometimes, it’s best to think of the movie (or play, as it may be) and the book as separate entities. This is useful here. Each medium has its strong points independent of the other. Overall, the show was a great tribute to the sisters and their history.   

Jewell Theatre Company’s production of “In the Time of the Butterflies” will run March 13 at 7 p.m. and March 14 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. in Peters Theatre. English and Spanish copies of Julia Alvarez’s novel will be sold in the box office before the performance.

Photo courtesy of PopSugar.