More "on the street" reviews for MUCH ADO!

The reviews keep pouring in! At our final performance, Mercedes had the opportunity to speak to Jillian, a student who lives in Queens. Here's what she had to say!

Mercedes: Hey, so who was your favorite character in MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING?

Jillian: My favorite character was Dogberry because he was very funny. I especially like the part when he calls himself an “ass” - it was hilarious!

Mercedes: What was your favorite part?

Jillian: My favorite part was the wedding scene because Claudio didn’t expect Hero to be there, he expected some other “chick” and to see his facial expression was very funny.

Mercedes: I agree! So do you have any experience with Shakespeare? Or is this your first time?

Jillian: No, this isn’t my first time, we were here last year and we saw AS YOU LIKE IT.

Mercedes: Do you like Shakespeare?

Jillian: Yeah, I actually do. I wish my teacher would go deeper into it and explain it more!

Mercedes: So what exactly do you do with Shakespeare?

Jillian: Actually we only have experience because of the people from Classic Stage Company; they come in and do the activities with us.

Mercedes: The come to my school as well and they are amazing! Well, thank you for your time, Jillian!

If you have a favorite part or character from MUCH ADO, post it on our facebook page. We'd love to hear from you!

http://www.facebook.com/CSCTheYoungCompany

The Reviews Are In...

After this afternoon's performance of MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, YC Insiders Melissa and Darren had the chance to interview students as they left the theater. Here is an excerpt from Melissa's interviews with high school students Milcah, Tyler, and Sayonna (photo credit goes to Darren.)

Melissa: What overall did you think of the show?

Milcah: It was really good, I mean, I really liked it. The acting was really good, I thought it was really relatable.
Sayonna: It definitely had me laughing every two minutes, also the fact that it wasn’t really cut off from the audience. The cast interacted with us, and they put their own vibes into it.

Melissa: What did you not expect to see, that you did see?

Sayonna: Well the fact that it took place in the 1920s really changed my viewpoint of it. It made me realize that any situation like that can happen no matter the time period. It transformed the show, making it more modern, and made people think it was really contemporary, despite the fact that Shakespearean language was still used.

Melissa: What was your favorite scene in the show?

Tyler: It’s really hard to decide because the scenes didn’t seem much like scenes to me. They flowed more like a story, and so it’s hard for me to choose.

Melissa: Are you team Hero/Claudio or Benedict/Beatrice?

Milcah: Benedict and Beatrice, because Hero and Claudio were kind of goody-goody, and overall I thought the relationship between Benedict and Beatrice was much more interesting to watch. They insulted each other so much, and it was very funny and entertaining.

Tyler: I agree. In a life perspective, it is also a truer relationship as opposed to Hero and Claudio, who just loved each other, whereas Benedict and Beatrice had times where they didn’t and did like each other, and they were lied to. It showed what lying can do, and that’s pretty cool.

Melissa: What was favorite thing displayed in the show?

Tyler: I’ll definitely have to say the costumes. In usual Shakespeare, people wear high necked pieces, and frilly stuff. It was different than what I assumed to see. The acting was also absolutely amazing; the character that stood out most was Don John.
Sayonna: The music, to hear the music and think about the time period it was, it just pumped it up. It wasn’t ballroom dancing – waltz, it was jazz and had heart. I loved that.

Melissa: Can you describe the show in three words?

Tyler: Awesome, awesome and awesome.
Sayona: Trilling, unexpected and hilarious.

A Shakespeare PLAY in Shakespeare's DAY.

For those of you who have seen MUCH ADO, you may recall CSC uses a thrust stage. This means the play can be seen by the audience on three sides. In Shakespeare's time, the audience was also on three sides of the stage, however, a large portion had to stand at the foot of the stage. Those theatergoers were known as groundlings.

Artist David Heatley created this awesome visual peek into the Elizabethan Stage. Enjoy reading it and seeing what it would have been like to see MUCH ADO in the 1600s!

Much Ado Comic Book Plot Summary!

We just finished a great performance for some super enthusiastic students, and we are thrilled for so many more to visit over these next two weeks! For those of you who may want a refresher on MUCH ADO's plot, we invite you to enjoy this comic book style summary, illustrated by David Heatley.

Click on the images to enlarge.

ENJOY!

Meet our next YC Student Correspondant, Melissa!

Next up.... Melissa!!

Grade: Sophomore

Hobbies: Swimming, writing, reading, movie commentating, and being with friends.

What aspects of theatre are you most interested in? My favorite part of theatre is the production of the play itself. It's difficult for me to specify which part itself I love most, since bringing together a performance is such an amazing thing. I love seeing how the director and stage manager organize tweaks to the plot, spacing, and the addition of effects of any sort. I especially admire it when watching a play, and wonder why the creative choices were taken, and how long things took to assemble or get accustomed to.

What parts of the Much Ado About Nothing rehearsal process are you most interested in telling other students about? I’m most interested in revealing ‘the behind the scenes scoop’. I find it exciting to learn how long it took to work on certain scenes, and creative choices that differ from the original play.

Anything else we should know? I’m really excited to be working with CSC, and for this wonderful opportunity. I hope the blog’s readers enjoy my ‘two cents’, and are compelled to come see Much Ado About Nothing, based off what I have to say, if they were not already.


**STAY TUNED for Melissa's interview with MUCH ADO Stage Manager, Michelle Cote!