Much Ado About Nothing [1973, New York Shakespeare Festival, dir Joseph Papp/Nick Havinga]

Welcome back to this week's episode of My Year of Shakespeare. Today's entry is available online at the internet archive (for free) if you want to grade my essay in real time. Apologies for anyone who mistakenly watched the 1973 Soviet production, that isn't the one I watched this week, although if that is you, please reach out to let me know where you got it, I've been unable to source a copy.

Today is the third go-round with Much Ado and, despite the re-setting of the play to turn-of-the-century America, probably the closest adaptation. In retrospect, this week too I must conclude I was much too harsh on the Branagh adaptation; its expedience at moving the plot along was masterful compared to the Papp production here. When this play is 160 minutes long, it's Pretty Shaggy. With that in mind, let's talk about some differences!

#1 Best Decision: Letting the "Hero is dead" moment marinate, with the cast in funeral garb, really works. It makes it so that whole beat is less puzzling and more sensible. Makes it so her coming back is bigger and more revelatory.

#1 Unhinged Decision: I'm gonna need someone to make the "Don John shoots at ducks [10 hours]" youtube video. I'm not sure why it's like a full two and a half minutes here other than they hadn't really figured out expedient editing in 1973.

#1 Goofy Decision: Doing the Dogberry scenes - in particular, the show of buffoonery in apprehending Conrade - as Keystone Cops is inspired but such a wild swing in an otherwise fairly straightforward adaptation.

This setting also has the best version of the "Sigh No More" song (referred to in previous essays as "renfaire headache music"), done as a ragtime number.

Performances, I think Kathleen Widdoes turns in my favorite version of Beatrice across the three adaptations. I think Jerry Mayer's Don John is probably the best pulled off across the three as well, nested in the center of the venn diagram of Snidely Whiplash and Teddy Rooseveldt.

Next week, we're closing out Much Ado April with the 2023 Sydney Sweeney vehicle "Anyone But You". Next month, we're doing The Scottish Month — schedule is as follows:

• May 3: The Tragedy of Macbeth [2021, Joel Coen]
• May 10: Scotland PA [2001]
• May 17: Throne of Blood [1957]
• May 24: Macbeth [2015]
• May 31: Thane of East County [2015]

Thank you again for reading along with My Year of Shakespeare.