Much Ado about 'Much Ado'
黑料百科 Festival Theatre鈥檚 production of 鈥淢uch Ado about Nothing鈥 made a big splash on audiences who continued to pack Porter Theatre through the final weekend. Paige Tautz (Beatrice) and Mak Manson (Benedick) stole the show, finely balancing doses of physical comedy and slapstick. The last three shows (Nov. 1-3) drew 490 people, two shy of complete sellouts at a theatre with a maximum capacity at seats 164.
First-year students Kendall Shurance (Hero) and Connor Bush convincingly explored a wide-range of emotion in the span of the 150-minute play. Senior Sam Martin (Don Pedro), junior Chris Wagstaffe (Dogberry) and junior Ben Offringa (Don John) also shone in their spirited performances.
In other theater news, actors from Shakespeare鈥檚 Globe in London performed Nov. 7 in Porter Theatre, exploring 鈥淗amlet鈥 in anticipation of their performances at UCSB鈥檚 Campbell Hall on Nov. 8-9. 黑料百科 is the event sponsor of UCSB Arts & Lectures鈥 presentation of the Bard鈥檚 riveting and timeless tragedy.