Much Ado About Nothing is one of William Shakespeare’s most well-known comedies. It takes place in Messina, and follows the troubles of Don Pedro, Claudio, Leonato, Benedick, Beatrice, and Hero. The main antagonist is Don John/John the Bastard, who often dissembles his motives to deceive the main characters. The main conflict of the story is the relationships between Claudio and Hero and Beatrice and Benedick. The play is an early example of a romantic comedy. Beatrice and Benedick famously squabble (leading to many hilarious hijinks) after being tricked by their friends. While there are some serious moments, most of the play is very light and mirthful. Both the 2011 Wyndham’s Theatre and the 2024 Cincinnati Shakespeare company productions were effective; however, the 2024 staging was better because of the stage and redistribution of character focus.

The more minimalist and modern staging of Wyndham’s Theatre allows many hilarious jokes, but the elaborate set of Otto M. Budig Theater is much more appealing and immersive. Otto M. Budig Theater puts the audience close to the stage. The stage has a close lower level-which is open save for a wine-stomping vat-and a slightly higher level with the main set.  Leonato’s house is portrayed as a verdant vineyard. There are vines all over the stage, there is a bar on stage left, a hanging bench on stage right, and stairs that lead up to the middle of the stage, high above everything else on a balcony. There are also stairs that go through the seats of the audience, allowing them to become more immersed in the story. Wyndham’s Theatre is a rotating set with several pillars placed on the stage, which does lead to some well-executed gags. The problem is that it is more difficult to be immersed in the more modern looking and minimal stage than the beautiful set of the 2024 production.  The detailed 2024 set more easily transports the audience to the world of the play whereas on the 2011 stage never at any moment seems more than a stage. Granted, it is a fantastic stage, but not as good as the 2024 stage.

In the 2024 production of Much Ado about Nothing, emphasis on major characters makes the play more enjoyable as opposed to the more equal distribution of attention to all characters in the 2011 production. The character of Leonato’s brother is cut, which shortens the play time and allows a quick transition into the more entertaining scene with Beatrice and Benedick, the real stars of the show. Don Pedro is also more fleshed out: he is happy to help Claudio, more playful when tricking Benedick into falling in love with Beatrice, and lonelier when he doesn’t have a wife at the end. Don John is shown to be more remorseless, and more obviously evil, allowing the audience to focus on the main characters. In the 2011 production, characters such as the Boy, and Leonato’s wife, take up stage time which doesn’t need to be taken up. Don John is also more ambivalent about his villainy, taking up valuable stage time. These changes in character portrayals ultimately make the 2024 production more concise and polished.

In closing, while both the 2011 Wyndham’s Theatre and 2024 Cincinnati Shakespeare Company productions of Much Ado About Nothing effectively communicate the themes of true love, societal expectations, and miscommunication, the 2024 staging was ultimately superior. The immersive and visually stunning vineyard set of the Otto M. Budig Theater transported the audience into the play’s world more effectively than the minimalist Wyndham’s stage could. Moreover, the tightened focus on the central romantic pairings of Beatrice/Benedick and Claudio/Hero allowed the 2024 production to explore the themes with more depth since the characters could be explored with more depth. The extra focus on Don Pedro allows the play to explore his loneliness more thoroughly and how he does not get true love by the end. By highlighting the stars of the show and utilizing the masterfully constructed set, this production made for a more polished, engaging, immersive and laugh-out-loud funny rendition of this classic comedy.