Riverside Makes 'Much Ado About Nothing'

The St. Charles City Arts and Culture Commission and Riverside Shakespeare Theatre Company present this year's Shakespeare in the Park production -- the Bard's classic comedy Much Ado About Nothing.

"A proposal was brought to us by Suki Peters, the director, and it intrigued us," said Chris Ferguson, executive director of Riverside Shakespeare and producer of the show.

"The board was looking for a comedy," Peters said. "They feel the people of St. Charles prefer comedy. Much Ado About Nothing is the best written comedy by William Shakespeare. It's a well-constructed play, beloved of many people."

The play will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Thursday to June 18, and June 24 and 25, with a 5 p.m. matinée June 26. The production takes place on the south end of Frontier Park on the Missouri Riverfront in St. Charles.

Admission is free, and refreshments will be available for sale. Bring lawn chairs or blankets. "Bring family, friends, blankets, pillows and lots of water," Peters said.

Monkey Tales Theatre will once again present a preshow performance 30 minutes before the evening shows. "They've been doing this the last three years," Ferguson said. "They'll be performing Prince Handsomely--it's a children's show."

Much Ado About Nothing is the story of two pairs of lovers--Benedick and Beatrice and Claudio and Hero. "One couple has a typical romance, and the other is more seeded in independence and wit," Peters said. "Terrible things happen, but everything gets righted in the end. Good wins, which I think is a great moral."

While theater groups often make changes to the setting or the era in which a Shakespeare production takes place, Peters wanted to stay true to the original.

"We're doing it in a timeless style," she said. "The themes are as current today as before. It's something easy to associate with. We want to focus more on the romance--the love and hope of the story--rather than reinvent the piece itself."

The cast includes Maggie Murphy (Beatrice), Besty Bowman (Hero), Christina Rios (Margaret), Laura Singleton (Ursula), Keith Parker Jr. (Benedick), Joshua Nash Payne (Claudio), Ethan Jones (Don Pedro), Mark Kelley (Don John/Sexton), Brennan Eller (Balthasar), Paul Devine (Leonato), Steve Wozniak (Antonio), Tom Lehmann (Borachio), John Wolbers (Conrade), Ben Ritchie (Dogberry), Jimmy Krawczyk (Verges), Andrew Weber (Friar Frances/Watchman), D. Conrad Burk (George Seacoal/Watchman) and Chuck Brinkley (Hugh Oatcake/Watchman).

"The show was difficult to cast because we found a lot of really talented people," Peters said. "Seventy people showed up at auditions for a cast of 18. I saw a lot of great talent. We've been extra fortunate."

Assisting with the production are stage manager Maggy Bort, costume designer Beth Ashby and composer Joshua Cook.

"We're in great shape," Peters said. "We've got original music, gorgeous stuff, an amazing cast and an amazing set donated by SLU (Saint Louis University)."

Peters said the show is family friendly and encourages everyone to come out.

"The characters are very rich. We journey through many laughs and many tears. We watch the characters grow. There is a lot of great humor, it's very well balanced," she said.

"There's something for everyone. I've not met anyone who doesn't like it. People can relate to it."