Theatregoers may well get a surprise when they come to The Boxmoor Playhouse to see Shakespeare ' s Much Ado About Nothing .
An exciting new production in September is the latest contribution to the local Arts scene by Hemel Hempstead Theatre Company .
But there will be no farthingales or tights and velvet bloomers to be seen as this production will be set in 1919 , at the end of the First World War .
“ The play begins with the arrival of a group of officers and soldiers at the end of an unspecified war , so it seemed perfect sense to update it in this way ,” says director , Maggie Harvey . “ It was originally set in Spain , but , like other Shakespeare comedies , it has a very ‘ English ’ feel .
“ We shall be using snatches of well-known , soldiers ’ songs as well as other music from the period . The idea is to suggest the mood of that unsettled time , as well as pointing up some of main themes .”
Of course , the main theme is Romance - and , in particular , the stormy , on / off relationship between Beatrice , a young lady in the country house , to which the
soldiers come , and Benedick , one of the officers . These two have had disastrous relationship in the past and now they quarrel whenever they meet , probably because they are still attracted to each other .
A lighthearted plot is concocted by their friends to get them together ; and another , much more serious plot is devised by the villains of the piece to wreck the love affair between Hero , the daughter of the house , and Claudio , another young officer .
The plot is further complicated by a group of volunteer local ‘ policemen ’, who stumble across this dastardly scheme but have the greatest difficulty in conveying the information to the authorities in time to avoid disaster .
It ’ s funny and it ’ s touching ; so come along and enjoy it any evening from September 18 - 21 with a matinee on the Saturday .
Remember there is a bar at the theatre , so you can make this an evening to remember !
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Box Office : 0333 666 3366
12 < Boxmoor Direct < August 2024 <