Freewill Shakespeare returns to Hawrelak Park triumphant
Much Ado About Nothing kicks off Freewill's homecoming to Heritage Amphitheatre after more than five years away.
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Freewill Shakespeare Festival is back where it belongs. The troupe's return to Hawrelak Park's Heritage Amphitheatre after more than five years away feels both fresh and familiar — a homecoming made possible now that COVID-19 and the city's park renovation are behind us.
The festival runs through June 28 with Much Ado About Nothing, the very play Freewill was set to launch when the pandemic arrived. A second production, Something Rotten!, a Shakespearean musical, runs July 1 to 12 in the same venue.
This year's Much Ado features a 10-member ensemble — smaller than usual for Freewill, but the talented cast makes it work. Several actors perform double duty, which director Ian Leung uses to rich effect: each role feels richer for the shadow of another character the actor inhabits.
The play opens in Sicily with Governor Leonato (Troy O'Donnell), Prince Don Pedro (John Ullyatt), the cranky Don John (Ron Pederson), young Count Claudio (Braydon Dowler-Coltman), and the suave Benedick (Jesse Gervais). Leonato's daughter Hero (Rochelle Laplante) and his sharp-tongued niece Beatrice (Vanessa Sabourin) arrive to set two parallel love stories in motion: Claudio and Hero find themselves drawn to each other, while Benedick and Beatrice begin a "merry war" of words masking deeper sparks.
Complications arrive courtesy of Don John's convoluted, dual-pronged plot. Even as Claudio and Hero approach a stylish outdoor wedding, lies paint Hero as unfaithful — Claudio abandons her at the altar, and her father suggests she would be better off dead. The play carries on in messy fashion until a cleansing final dance, though it's hard to believe in the characters' happy ending after two and a half hours of murderous threats and backstabbing.
Gervais stands out for his comic command: his body and voice convey the ridiculous through mere gesture and phrase. Sabourin matches him, bringing fierce intelligence to Beatrice's barbs. The strong ensemble direction and solid performances make the play's confusing plot easier to accept. While Much Ado isn't easy to follow — the program synopsis is essential — the cast makes it work.