Too 'Much Ado About Nothing'?

Oh, the embarrassment! Imagine showing up to a summer party only to find someone else wearing your exact same outfit.

Fashion mavens forever fear finding other people sporting their carefully chosen couture. So imagine what it's like for a theater company to find out that not one, but four others are doing the same play practically at the same time.

This summer it's happening as five productions of William Shakespeare's classic romantic comedy "Much Ado About Nothing" play around Chicago (Six if you count one at American Players Theatre in Spring Green, Wisc.). True, two of the productions are adaptations, but the basic plot and characters are the same.

First out of the "Much Ado" gate was Circle Theatre's Emerging Young Artists' production that ran June 12-15 in Forest Park, followed by Oak Park Theatre Festival's outdoor production which began on June 13. GroundUp Theatre next jumped into the fray by touring its free (and freely adapted) "Much Ado" production to Chicago parks.

More freestyle work comes courtesy of Chicago Shakespeare Theater, which has The Q Brothers doing a world premiere "ad-rap-tation" of "Much Ado" the same way they gave "The Comedy of Errors" a hip-hop makeover in their international 1999 hit "The Bomb-itty of Errors." Finishing off the "Much Ado" marathon is First Folio Shakespeare Festival presenting a period outdoor production in Oak Brook starting in July.

There would be even more of "Much Ado" this summer if artistic differences didn't spur the Goodman Theatre to cancel "The Boys Are Coming Home," a musical resetting Shakespeare's classic to post-World War II. Chicago Opera Theater also avoided the Shakespearean pileup when it produced "Beatrice et Bȩnȩdict," Hector Berlioz's "Much Ado" opera adaptation, in 2007.

"You can go, 'Aw, hell, why are they doing it while we're doing it?'" said Michael Goldberg, director of First Folio's production. "But I think the good way to look at it is that it gives audiences the chance to see the same show in different ways."

So why so much "Much Ado" right now? What is it about Shakespeare's comedy that shows how lies and trickery can be beneficial in the case of sparring lovers Beatrice and Benedict, or life-shattering with the young lovers Claudio and Hero?

"I think it's purely coincidence," supposes Goldberg, chalking up the duplication to the quality material. "It is a solid comedy and it was written at the height of (Shakespeare's) comedic writing."

Jack Hickey, director of Oak Park's production, agrees, saying "Much Ado" may be Shakespeare's "most perfect comedy in terms of construction."

Yet Hickey hints that you can find political undertones by producing "Much Ado" in America today. After all, "Much Ado" begins with the region's men returning home from a war.

"I like this idea of homecoming and hopefully getting us all as a community to see how we can put our lives together once the war is over," Hickey said. "Kind of an optimistic feeling for me."

GroundUp director/adapter Dan Johnson says he's not taking a particularly political slant on the show.

"But it is a play about human duplicity, and this is an election year," Johnson said. "It's definitely a show about people playing a part opposite to who they are in order to get what they want."

"All of Shakespeare, it's such rich material that everyone gets to bring their take to it," said "Funk it Up" creative producer Rick Boynton.

With so much "Much Ado," Goldberg says, "It's a great way to compare and contrast what can be done with the same text."

Make note about the different approaches to these following "Much Ado" productions around Chicago, running the gamut from traditional to revisionist:

First Folio

Director Michael Goldberg toyed with updating "Much Ado" to colonial India, before opting for a period production in the original play's Sicily setting.

"The key thing is that we can believe that women's honor is held very high in society, and that not only could (Hero) die for being slandered, but even that her father would want her dead." Goldberg said. "It's hard to believe that this would happen today in society, but I picked the late 1700s and early 1800s when they still had those mores and social codes."

In addition to the setting, Goldberg picked that Regency time period of Jane Austen because he liked the cut and colors of gowns worn by women of the era.

Like in previous seasons, the cast is a mixture of professional Chicago actors and younger ensemble members fresh from college.

"It's a great balance of youth and vigor, and to have these wonderful professional actors that they can draw upon for experience," Goldberg said.

First Folio Shakespeare Festival's "Much Ado About Nothing" plays at Mayslake Peabody Estate, 1717 W. 31st St., Oak Brook, 8:15 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays from July 8 through Aug. 17. $21-$26. (630) 986-8067.

Oak Park

A mix of professional actors and young talent also comprise the cast of Oak Park Festival Theatre's "Much Ado." It too is set around the same Regency time period, when it was fashionable to incorporate neoclassical elements into clothing of the day.

"We did that for practical reasons," said director Hickey. "Medieval and renaissance costumes tend to be heavier and more layered. In consideration of our actors being outdoors all summer, we chose the early 1800s, when they borrowed from the renaissance but were much lighter and had less layers."

Hickey definitely plans to see First Folio's "Much Ado" in addition to others.

"It may turn out that all these 'Much Ado' productions are a blessing in disguise. They all may garner more attention than a single production would."

Oak Park Festival Theatre's "Much Ado About Nothing" plays at Austin Gardens at the intersection of Ontario and Forest avenues, Oak Park. 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 7 p.m. Sundays through July 19. No show July 4. $17-$27. (708) 445-4440

GroundUp

The quality of the original play also inspired the folks of Chicago's GroundUp Theatre to tackle "Much Ado," even though they make substantial gender reassignments with the characters. Hence Hero becomes male, villain Don John's henchmen become women as do the soldier Claudio (now Claudia) and the land owner Leonato (now Leonata).

"We're a feminist theater company, and part of our mission is to show men and women in a different light," said director/adapter Johnson. "There are very few parts for women in classical theater. That's why we open up more roles for women artists."

Another interesting approach is the "Steam Punk" design of GroundUp's production, which is a blend of 1980s punk gear and elements from the Victorian era when steam power ruled the day.

GroundUp Theatre's free and condensed rethinking of "Much Ado About Nothing" tours to Chicago parks through Aug. 3 (bring your own blankets or chairs). Call (773) 764-9916 for specific locations.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Though the Q Brothers had an international hit with "The Bomb-itty of Errors," it remains to be seen if a hip-hop take on "Much Ado" will thrive the same way with the more simplistic and slapstick "Comedy of Errors."

"What's wonderful is that it has been a terrific collaboration between the Qs and us," said producer Boynton. "I think what's been fun is to realize how Shakespeare used the twists and turns of language to illuminate a story. And rap is really the same thingˆ­ - the twists, the tempo, the language."

Boynton is pleased at how a Shakespearean battle of the sexes comedy has translated into a rap idiom with contemporary hip-hop allusions.

"We pull references from early rap and that genre and meld those with the current day," Boynton said. "Sometimes it's an irreverent satire that I hope is also really funny."

Chicago Shakespeare Theater's "Funk It Up About Nothin'" plays upstairs at Navy Pier, 800 E. Grand Ave., Chicago. 7 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 7 and 9:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2:30 p.m. Sundays through Aug. 3. $25-$30. (312) 595-5600.