It may be the opinion of some that I was born to speak all mirth and no matter, but one doth not know how much an ill word can empoison liking. Let’s hope that’s enough mangled lines from the Bard’s source material to bait the proverbial bear and get this review of The Rude Mechanicals’ Much Ado About Nothing underway. Directed by Shirely Long, this Shakespearean comedy about— well, mostly a fuss made over nothing,
Everyone must write what they feel as best they know how. Chekhov said it. Maybe. Probably. Hard to tell what’s direct source material versus creative licensing with this rather impressive new production of The Seagull being produced by The Rude Mechanicals at The Greenbelt Arts Center. Directed by Melissa Schick, this imaginative reinterpretation and musical adaptation of one of Chekhov’s more depressing works is surprisingly charming, well-parsed and paced, and delivers a refreshing new spin on an old war-horse-staple of the theatrical canon.