pleasantly surprised

I was a little nervous to go see "Much Ado About Nothing" at DB Friday night--I mean, come on, how good can a Shakespeare show actually turn out when it's performed by a cast entirely composed of highschool students? At least, those were my thoughts going in.

Boy, was I pleasantly surprised. I actually found myself leaning forward in my chair many times, getting swept up in the show, and forgetting I was watching a highschool ensemble perform the words Shakespeare had written soooo many years ago. The entire cast was good, and very enjoyable to watch, but of course I had my favorites. Marcy was fabulous as Beatrice, and Justin did an excellent job as Benedick (even though he was suffering from a case of laryngitis). Maggie was touching as Hero, especially when she was wrongfully accused of being, basically, "impure".

(Seeing as I don't have the playbill in front of me, I'm not sure of names for these next few...) The guy playing Borachio was very good, conniving, and seemed to have a pretty good master of the language--which is not easy. I did catch him grinning a couple times on stage when there was hilarity ensuing, but his performance on the whole made up for that. It happens. The kid who played (?), and later proclaimed in the show, "I am an ass!" was fabulously hilarious, and I found myself watching him simply to see what facial expressions and little movements he was going to come up with next. My mouth fell agape when one of the students sang a couple times--a capella, nonetheless!--and seemed to hit every note right on.

Mike Stagg also did a fine job as Don Pedro (?), and to be honest, I was shocked to see him in such a commanding, lead role. I have met Mike a few times, and he just didn't seem like the type of person to enjoy being on stage, much less in tights, speaking the Shakespearean language. But then again, appearances can be deceiving.

I was a little nervous also about Little Joe's performance. I have never doubted his acting ability, especially after having been in "42nd Street" with him this summer and seeing him in "Last Night of Ballyhoo", but like Joan said on her blog, I was a little nervous to see how he would handle a more serious role. To be honest (and I may be being partial here), I was blown away. That kid is such a natural, it's amazing. And even though he had told me that tech Sunday went horribly (they didn't even do the 2nd act!), and he didn't really know his lines, you couldn't tell that from Friday's performance. He seemed to be very comfortable with the language, and didn't stumble over it at all. (The same goes for all the students in the show; I don't think I really noticed any big snafus or trips over the wordiness of it all.) Like I said, I'm a bit partial with Joe because the kid's become like a 2nd little brother to me, but I congratulate him, the above-mentioned, and the entire cast of "Much Ado About Nothing." I couldn't be prouder.

And a big congrats, as always, to Jim Leibrecht, the director that can strike fear into your heart when he needs to, but who always sits back and watches the puzzle come together with a satisfied smile on his face. The Guild has done it again and (MORE THAN) "pulled it off."