By Liz Eichler
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s Much Ado About Nothing proves that Shakespeare belongs everywhere. Parks, village greens, school lawns and public squares become theaters for an evening, and audiences who might never purchase a ticket downtown discover that the Bard can still entertain, surprise and delight.
Director Robert Carlton Stimmel relocates the comedy to the year 1776, as America’s Revolutionary War begins. The concept works beautifully. Shakespeare’s battle of wits between men and women fits naturally alongside a nation fighting for its own independence. The colonial setting never overwhelms the text, but instead provides an attractive framework for the familiar story of romance, deception and reconciliation.
The Two Interwoven Plots
Returning from war, Claudio quickly falls in love with Hero, daughter of Messina’s governor Leonata. Their engagement is threatened when the villainous Don John convinces Claudio that Hero has been unfaithful, leading to one of Shakespeare’s most painful wedding scenes. To restore Hero’s honor, the Friar proposes Leonata fake her death until the truth can emerge.
Meanwhile Beatrice (Hero’s cousin and confidante) and Benedick (Claudio’s closest friend) engage in a constant, clever sparring match of wit and insults. Both claim to hate marriage and love. Their friends team up to trick them. The trick works. Beatrice and Benedick acknowledge their true feelings and eventually confess their love.
The Revolutionary Setting
Chris Holloway’s elegant Georgian-inspired set immediately establishes the period with its emphasis on symmetry and clean architectural lines. Rainy Edwards complements the scenery with handsome colonial costumes—waistcoats, buckled shoes, flowing dresses and military-inspired attire—which give the production visual cohesion while remaining practical for a touring show.
During the first act, the production makes excellent use of natural daylight, but as dusk settles, Holloway’s lighting quietly transforms the atmosphere, adding warmth and intimacy for the emotional turns of the second act. The sound is excellent. After years of performing outdoors without amplification, every actor is miked, allowing the language to carry clearly even in open-air venues. Period-appropriate incidental music between scenes further enhances the atmosphere.
Montez Jenkins Copeland’s choreography, Gina Cerimele-Mechley’s fight and intimacy direction, and Val Molloy’s sound design all support the storytelling without calling unnecessary attention to themselves. It’s their craftsmanship that allows the production to overcome the many logistical challenges of touring. We caught some glimspses of Wardrobe Supervisor Lydia Kabzinski helping actors get costumes on and off–an admirable feat while the temps were in the 90s. Stage Manager Colton Wolf ensures the entire enterprise appears effortless.
Solid Performances
The ensemble is uniformly strong, but several performances stand above an already impressive company.
Emily Renee Shimskey brings warmth and authority to Leonata, grounding the production with a performance that feels both maternal and commanding. She provides the emotional center whenever the comedy threatens to become too broad.
As Beatrice, Eva Olivia Catanzariti possesses exactly the quick intelligence the role demands. Every barb lands with precision, but beneath the verbal fireworks she reveals genuine vulnerability. Her Beatrice is fiercely independent without becoming cynical, making her eventual willingness to lower her defenses feel completely earned.
Opposite her, Sam Hopper delivers an equally winning Benedick. His comic timing is impeccable, particularly during the famous overhearing scenes, but what makes the performance memorable is his gradual transformation. Hopper allows Benedick’s swagger to soften as he recognizes the sincerity of his feelings for Beatrice.
Together, Catanzariti and Hopper generate the effortless chemistry that makes Much Ado About Nothing endure. Their verbal sparring matches are among the evening’s highlights—less arguments than athletic competitions, with each character trying to outmaneuver the other through wit alone. Watching these two stubborn skeptics slowly trade boxing gloves for open hearts provides the production’s greatest satisfaction.
The remainder of the cast maintains the production’s brisk pace while skillfully navigating Shakespeare’s shifting tones. Romeo Seay gives Claudio youthful earnestness, Regan Utrup brings quiet grace to Hero and delightful silliness to Verges. Colin Waters earns plenty of laughs in multiple roles, particularly the delightfully self-important Dogberry. Bryce Nevison and Kennedy Kirkland similarly shift among several characters with confidence, helping the production feel larger than its relatively compact cast. His Don Pedro provides a steady force in the ensemble.
The Richness of Free Shakespeare
One of the unexpected joys of attending Shakespeare in the Park isn’t just what’s happening onstage (or backstage)—it’s watching the audience.
After years of seeing Shakespeare in countless venues across the country, I’m always fascinated by how children instinctively gravitate toward the outdoor stage. If they are walking by at a park, they become mesmerized, and sit cross-legged right up front, just a few feet from the actors, despite motions from their well-meaning parents.
Clearly, children aren’t intimidated by Shakespeare’s reputation. They simply recognize that someone is about to tell them a story. They come without required reading baggage.
Shakespeare wrote for all audiences, creating plays that entertained both the groundlings standing at the edge of the stage and the educated elite seated in the galleries. These productions remind us that his plays still belong to everyone. Even the tragedies of ancient kings can appeal to the youngest viewers, especially if the story is told through movement and emotion as well as words.
As daylight fades and the stage lights take over, this Much Ado About Nothing is funny, beautifully performed and wonderfully accessible. It is a reminder that nearly 430 years after it was written, Shakespeare’s sharp observations about love, pride and human folly remain just as entertaining under an open sky as they are inside a theater.
For information about the Free Shakespeare near you, click HERE. Be sure to follow on Facebook to get the latest updates on performance cancellations due to weather or air quality.
Also Playing
Also playing INSIDE at Cincinnati Shakespeare’s facility downtown is Dogberry and Verges are Scared. It is an original take-off of two beloved comic characters from Much Ado. Dogberry and Verges closes on July 25, 2026. They take the comedy on the road, to Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
See them both while you can. For tickets to Dogberry and Verges Click HERE.
