In Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, the presence of romance or lack thereof is frequently tested in various forms from friend to friend, lover to lover, and friend to lover. For many of us, Beatrice was a stand-out character in the performance at the Shakespeare Globe, with her wittiness, stage presence, and lively interaction with the audience shining through.
At the beginning of the play, she threw an orange into the air and watched it land on her knife. Afterwards she handed it to me (I was in the front row); she was an entertaining character to say the least.
Although we sometimes struggled to interpret the print version of the play beforehand, it was helpful to have an idea of what was going on from scene to scene in the production as well as background on the characters as they emerged in real life. Overall, the performance breathed life into the words, with dancing, singing, and a dynamic vocal expression.
It was quite surreal to be in a place like the Shakespeare Globe that we’ve been learning about since we were young students. And to be a part of the groundling section in the yard, standing for around 3 hours, was all part of the experience (our tickets were only 5 pounds!) Although our feet ached afterwards, it felt so worth it to be in the historical space and watch as an audience would’ve in Shakespeare’s time.
