Shakespeare - Much Ado about Nothing - performance analysis

Part ofEnglishMuch Ado About Nothing

Performance analysis

There are many different ways to interpret and perform Shakespeare’s plays. Watch the videos and decide how you would perform the three scenes from Much Ado About Nothing.

Scenes to explore

Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy with lots of possibilities. The characters are larger than life. There’s always a character sneaking around in the side-lines snooping on what someone or other is doing.

Nowadays, Shakespeare’s plays are interpreted in many different ways on stage and screen. Directors and their production teams make choices on how they want to stage the play and how the characters will deliver their lines. The decisions they make can often change how the audience think and feel about the play and the characters in it.

Let’s look at three scenes and explore the possibilities for an exciting and unforgettable performance of Much Ado About Nothing:

  • Act 2 Scene 1 – Rehearsing the masked ball
  • Act 2 Scene 2 – Rehearsing Borachio’s plan to trick Claudio
  • Act 2 Scene 3 – Rehearsing the orchard scene
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Act 2 Scene 1 - Rehearsing the masked ball

Leonato has thrown a masked party to welcome Don Pedro and his soldiers to his home. A mask allows the wearer to behave much more freely than they would if their identity were known. Behind their masks, Beatrice and Benedick insult one another, pretending that they are just passing on information that they have heard.

'Much Ado About Nothing' - How would you rehearse the masked ball?

The video shows a group of actors rehearsing the scene and the director is trying out different ways to perform it. Which way he chooses to go will affect how the audience view Beatrice and her relationship with Benedick, for the rest of the play. As you watch consider the following:

  • Does Beatrice know that it is Benedick behind the mask?
  • Is she playful or vicious?
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Act 2 Scene 2 – Rehearsing Borachio’s plan to trick Claudio

Borachio outlines his plan to present Claudio with “evidence” of Hero’s infidelity but it’s a confusing plan and a tricky scene to perform.

'Much Ado About Nothing' - How would you rehearse Borachio's plan?

This video shows a group of actors rehearsing this scene and the director is trying out different ways to perform it. As you watch consider the following:

  • Could the actors use props to help explain the plan?
  • Would it be useful for the audience to see Margaret pretending to be Hero?
  • How would you ensure a theatre audience would understand what was going on?
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Act 2 Scene 3 – Rehearsing the orchard scene

In Act 2 Scene 3, Benedick is trying to hide whilst the three other characters gather in the orchard. They know he’s hiding and make up a story about Beatrice being in love with him. If you were putting on a performance of this scene how would you make the audience laugh?

'Much Ado About Nothing' - How would you rehearse the orchard scene?

This video shows a group of actors rehearsing this scene and the director is trying out different ways to perform it. As you watch, consider the following:

  • How do you provide enough hiding places for Benedick?
  • An orchard could be tricky to reconstruct on stage. Would you use real trees and bushes?
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