‘Much Ado About Nothing’ gets Shakespeare right in Brighton

Set in post-WWII Italy, Platte Valley Theatre Arts’ lively Much Ado leans into innuendo.

Shakespeare’s plays have survived for centuries not because audiences enjoy decoding iambic pentameter, but because they are funny, horny, messy crowd-pleasers.

That spirit is alive and well in Platte Valley Theatre Arts’ spirited production of Much Ado About Nothing at the Armory Performing Arts Center in Brighton. Director Kelly Van Oosbree understands that Shakespeare works best when audiences are invited to laugh at it instead of admire it from a distance. Her production relocates the play to post-World War I Italy, a smart conceptual shift that preserves the original framework while giving the story a fresh immediacy.

Cooper Atchison, Jackson Westenskow and Bill Diggle in Much Ado About Nothing. | Photo: RDG Photography

The setup remains delightfully chaotic. A group of soldiers returns home to Messina after the war. Young Claudio (Cooper Atchison) quickly falls for Hero (Marisa Dinsmoor), daughter of the jovial Leonato (Matt Hindmarch). Meanwhile, Claudio’s fellow soldier Benedick (Bill Diggle) continues his long-running war of words with Hero’s cousin Beatrice (Sarah Kit Farrell), despite the fact that everyone around them can clearly see they are already halfway in love.

So naturally, their friends decide to manipulate them into admitting it. That matchmaking scheme unfolds alongside villainous interference from the bitter Don John (Adam Luhrs), who tricks Claudio into believing Hero has been unfaithful before their wedding. The way it all works out makes for one of Shakespeare’s most entertaining concoctions of romantic melodrama and farcical comedy, which KVO and company do justice to in Brighton.

Marisa Dinsmoor as Hero with Adrianna Quiñones in Much Ado About Nothing. | Photo: RDG Photography

Flirtation, chaos and excellent comic timing

Van Oosbree keeps the production moving briskly. Running about two hours with a 15-minute intermission, the show never drags, thanks to lively staging and several non-Shakespearean musical numbers that fit naturally into the 1918 setting.

More importantly, the cast consistently knows how to make Shakespeare sound conversational. Under the guidance of voice and text director Jeffrey Parker, the actors deliver the language with clarity and confidence.

Nathan Dettlebach and Adam Luhrs in Much Ado About Nothing. | Photo: RDG Photography

Diggle and Farrell steer the production beautifully as the unlikely lovers Benedick and Beatrice. Their chemistry feels immediate from the start, and both performers understand that these characters work best when played with absolute sincerity beneath the constant stream of sarcasm.

Diggle gives Benedick an easygoing charisma that makes him instantly likable. He is quick with reactions, comfortable improvising with the audience and consistently funny without forcing the humor. On opening night, a train whistle interrupted just before Beatrice entered, prompting Diggle to quip, “The train heralds her arrival,” earning one of the night’s biggest laughs.

These impish audience interactions become a major strength throughout the production. Rather than pretending the audience does not exist, the actors frequently acknowledge them directly, creating an atmosphere that feels appropriately loose and communal for Shakespeare.

The production’s two overhearing scenes — in which Benedick and Beatrice secretly listen to staged conversations designed to trick them into falling in love — become standout comedic set pieces. Diggle crawls through the audience and hides among them during Benedick’s scene, while Farrell escalates Beatrice’s sequence into wonderfully physical chaos, pulling an audience member into the action for her to hide behind and getting inside a wooden box.

Sarah Kit Farrell as Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing. | Photo: RDG Photography

Farrell is equally strong when the play shifts into darker territory. Her anger during the disastrous wedding sequence gives the production real weight, and the eventual romance between Beatrice and Benedick feels genuinely earned rather than simply inevitable.

Atchison also delivers strong work as Claudio, balancing youthful earnestness with painful gullibility once Don John’s deception takes hold. His public denunciation of Hero lands because the production successfully establishes their affection beforehand. Dinsmoor brings warmth and sincerity to Hero, even if the role itself gives her less to do than the central lovers.

Elsewhere, Luhrs clearly relishes playing Don John as an openly irritated villain. His exaggerated expressions and simmering annoyance fit perfectly within the production’s heightened comedic world. Alex Jacobsen also stands out as Margaret, scoring several stealthily funny reaction moments and quick exchanges that consistently land.

The comic subplot involving Dogberry and the town watch (Joseph A.W. Steiner, Isabella Duran and Daniel Schwartz) leans heavily into slapstick. Cam Leonard portrays Dogberry broadly but effectively, emphasizing physical comedy over the character’s famous malapropisms. Not every gag hits equally hard, but the ensemble’s commitment keeps the energy high.

The watch in Much Ado About Nothing. | Photo: RDG Photography

Shakespeare made silly

Visually, the production creates an inviting world. Van Oosbree’s scenic design transforms the Armory into a lush Mediterranean gathering place filled with flowers, layered playing spaces and a central fountain that gives Messina a warm, romantic atmosphere. Much of the action unfolds directly on the auditorium floor among the audience, reinforcing the venue’s intimacy and encouraging constant engagement between performers and spectators.

Susan Rahmsdorff-Terry’s costumes further sell the postwar setting. Military uniforms, elegant dresses and period formal wear create a cohesive visual palette without becoming overly fussy. Brett Maughan’s lighting complements the production’s warm tone, and Erin Kubat’s sound design leans toward an uptempo swing sensibility.

Marisa Dinsmoor and Cooper Atchison in Much Ado About Nothing. | Photo: RDG Photography

Most importantly, the production never loses sight of the fact that Much Ado About Nothing is supposed to be fun.

Van Oosbree leans fully into the innuendo and flirtation embedded throughout Shakespeare’s text. Umbrellas become visual penis jokes. Characters openly flirt with audience members. Double entendres are delivered with a knowing wink rather than buried beneath academic reverence.

Platte Valley Theatre Arts’ production of Much Ado About Nothing. | Photo: RDG Photography

And the audience responds accordingly. The crowd on opening night laughed constantly and eagerly embraced the production’s interactive energy. Shakespeare’s plays were written for raucous crowds, and Van Oosbree and her cast embrace that spirit wholeheartedly, offering a production that feels playful and immediate.

Whether you’ve seen Much Ado before or not, this production is a must-see because of its outstanding cast, inventive technical elements and polished direction. Like Benedick and Beatrice, you’re bound to fall in love along the way.