Direction, energetic cast make ‘Much Ado’ a sparkling production

Richmond Shakespeare has inaugurated its long-awaited residency at CenterStage with a sparkling production of "Much Ado About Nothing." The beloved comedy, which features a nasty character trying to foil a pair of young lovers and the witty sparring of Beatrice and Benedick, is spun into hilarity by director Grant Mudge and his attractive, energetic cast of 18.

CenterStage's Gottwald Playhouse works ideally for the troupe, which has configured stage and seating to mimic its summer home at Agecroft Hall. Philip Milone's set is a two-level version of the Agecroft wall that forms the summer stage's backdrop, though it lacks the Tudor mansion's rich patina.

This means that Mudge is in his element, using his customary swirl of diagonals to propel the action around and through the audience as well as onstage. To enhance this, lighting designer J. David White employs a hybrid of the general illumination the company has used in previous winter seasons and the mood-enhancing lighting they've employed at Agecroft.

Molly Hood is the "Master of Verse" for the show, and her approach has the actors speaking their lines with Elizabethan purity while using totally contemporary body language, amping up comprehensibility and amusement value. Mudge sprinkles music throughout as a lovely enhancement, using two musicians and the ample singing talent of his actors.

The cast is splendid. Dave White's Don Pedro exudes a comfortable nobility; Alan Sader is a warm and hearty Leonato. Liz Blake and Jonathan Conyers are a sweet and touching pair as the deceived lovers Hero and Claudio, and Billy Christopher Maupin's Don John, the villain, has a cold eye that hints at his inner misery.

Sarah Jamillah Johnson, as Beatrice, and T. J. Simmons, as Benedick, burst with energy, intelligence and charisma, but their sexual chemistry is regrettably tepid. As a result, Bob White's fabulous Dogberry -- the malaprop-plagued constable -- virtually owns the second half of the show.
Susan Haubenstock is a Henrico County-based freelance writer and editor. She can be contacted at .